13 Assam students chosen to explore India’s space frontier under NE-SPARKS

Thirteen science-savvy students from Assam set out today on a high-impact educational journey to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru as part of the NE-SPARKS initiative—a programme aimed at cultivating a deep interest in space science among the Northeast’s youth.
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu officially flagged off the second batch at 8:15 AM from the State Mission Office of Samagra Shiksha Assam (SSA). The students, hailing from Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kamrup (Metro), and Majuli, will spend several days exploring ISRO’s premier facilities and interacting with top Indian space scientists.
The flag-off event was attended by key SSA officials, including Mission Director Om Prakash, Executive Director Sanjoy Dutta, and Officer on Special Duty Khanindra Das, who emphasized the long-term value of such exposure for young scientific minds.
NE-SPARKS—short for Northeast Student Programme for Awareness, Reach and Knowledge on Space—is a flagship initiative jointly run by the Department of School Education and the Department of Transformation & Development, Assam. It is executed by the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC), headquartered near Shillong.

The program targets 800 students across all eight northeastern states, with 100 from each. Students from classes IX to XII in government and provincialized schools are chosen based on merit and a demonstrated interest in science and space technology. Each visit group includes 13 students and one teacher coordinator.
This second batch follows an inaugural visit in April. Throughout the tour, students will get exclusive access to ISRO’s top installations: the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC), U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), ISRO Satellite Integration and Testing Establishment (ISITE), and the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. They will also have a rare chance to interact directly with the ISRO Secretary and other leading scientists.
Supported by the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), the NE-SPARKS initiative is not just a field trip—it’s a launchpad. The goal is to ignite passion, raise awareness, and inspire a new generation of space pioneers from the Northeast who may one day lead India’s next big leap in space exploration.

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