TELANGANA GOVERNMENT SIGNS AN MOU WITH ISRO

The Government of Telangana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to improve services of its educational channel ‘Mana TV’. The MoU was signed by officials of the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communication of the state government, and ISRO’s Development & Educational Communication Unit (DECU).

“The state government and DECU will work together to create and disseminate educational content by using Satcom, so that it reaches the entire population of the state,” said DECU Director Virender Kumar. Appreciating Telangana Government for embarking on a noble programme to use space technology, he said this would greatly contribute to the overall development of the state.

IT Minister KT Rama Rao said that this arrangement would help the channel start coaching classes from October 1 for those appearing for Group II services examination of the Telangana Public Service Commission (TPSC).
The minister said the channel will telecast a four-hour programme daily for candidates preparing for the examination. Rama Rao further said that Mana TV will also launch similar coaching programmes for the students preparing for EAMCET, the common entrance test for admissions to engineering and medical courses, Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and other competitive examinations.

He further added, “Our ultimate goal is to ensure that Mana TV reaches all 90 lakh houses in the state and students from schools to colleges and universities, and also those seeking jobs and preparing for various competitive exams”. He announced that with the help of ISRO, 6,000 schools in the state will launch digital classes from October 14. The minister further said that the government would go beyond education to use satellite technology, so that all sections of people can benefit. “We may launch more channels to cater to various sections as was done in Gujarat,” he said.