A group of 106 students from the eight North Eastern States visited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Centre in Bengaluru on 30th and 31st October, 2025, as part of the North East Students’ Programme for Awareness, Reach and Knowledge on Space (NE-SPARKS), funded by the North Eastern Counciland State Governments. The 6th Batch of Students comprising 106 students (out of selected 800 meritorious students) from 8 North Eastern States with one State Coordinator each visited ISRO Centres, Bengaluru on 30thand 31st October, 2025. The delegates from NER were led by Sri Richard L Jongte, Deputy Adviser (IPR), NEC and officials from North East Space Application Centre (NESAC), Umiam.
NESPARKS (North East Student’s Programme for Awareness, Reach and Knowledge on Space) is a joint venture of NEC/MDoNER, NESAC, ISROand NE State Governments. Under NESPARKS, 800 meritorious students from the eight North Eastern States are scheduled to visit ISRO Centre, Bengaluru to instill inspiration and motivation in young minds of the North East. The 7th and 8th batches are expected to visit ISRO Centre in November and December respectively. The North Eastern Council (NEC) continued its efforts toward the holistic development of the North Eastern Region through multiple initiatives and projects during October 2025.
Among the various completed initiatives, one of the most notable was the Cane and Bamboo Cluster Development Project, aimed at promoting sustainable livelihoods in North East India. Implemented in two phases, the project was launched in August 2013 by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in collaboration with NEC, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), with NECBDC providing technical support. The first phase established five clusters, while the second phase, initiated in 2017, added eleven new clusters-bringing the total to sixteen clusters (two in each of the eight Northeastern States). Some additional potential clusters were also adopted under the project.
The total expenditure incurred was `9.19 crore and the project was completed on 8th October 2025.Further, the NEC Secretariat announced substantial fund releases amounting to `8.46 crore for various development projects in Meghalaya under the Scheme of NEC (SONEC) during October 2025. These include `5.01 crore for the installation of a 1.5T MRI Machine at Tura Civil Hospital, `94.5 lakh for providing key services in the Mawshynrut CandRD Block, `1.15 crore for the NESPARKS programme, `31.29 lakh for promoting Rural Eco-Tourism in Garo Hills and `1.04 crore for the construction of SeinraijJowai Community Hall and Recreation Centre at Dulong in West Jaintia Hills District. These fund releases reaffirm NEC’s continued focus on improving healthcare, tourism, education and community infrastructure in the region.
