Govt announces fellowships to mark Mangalyaan success

Thiruvananthapuram: The State government has announced post-doctoral fellowships in space technology to mark the success of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission.

The ‘Mangalyaan fellowships’ would be instituted through the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) to promote novel applications of space technology in the development domain, according to an official release today.

Initially, 10 fellowships would be offered in four sectors — agriculture, education, skill development and health — to encourage young researchers to come up with applications of space technology in these areas.

The grant, which will be of up to Rs. 30,000, would be provided to selected candidates for two years.

The proposal was approved by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is also president of KSCSTE, soon after the MOM yesterday successfully entered the Red Planet’s orbit.

VN Rajasekharan Pillai, Executive Vice President of KSCSTE, said the fellowships would attract young researchers keen to bring the fruits of space science research to the development domain.

India created space history yesterday by successfully placing its low-cost Mars spacecraft in orbit around the Red Planet in its very first attempt.