Centre Pushes Science-Led Tribal Growth in Northeast

• Meghalaya Minister Alexander Laloo Hek meets Jitendra Singh in Delhi
• Focus on expanding STI Hubs for tribal communities in Northeast
• Centre highlights science-driven livelihood and innovation support
• Government says 53 STI Hubs operational across India

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 26th May: Meghalaya Cabinet Minister Alexander Laloo Hek on Monday met Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh to discuss expansion of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs for tribal communities in the Northeastern region.

The meeting focused on strengthening science and technology interventions aimed at improving livelihoods, skill development and innovation-led growth in tribal areas.

According to the Ministry, discussions centred around expanding the reach of STI Hubs being implemented by the Department of Science and Technology for holistic development of Scheduled Tribe communities through science-based and technology-enabled initiatives.

Jitendra Singh said the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently worked to ensure the benefits of science and innovation reach remote and underserved regions.

He emphasised that innovation-driven programmes can play a transformative role in grassroots entrepreneurship, employment generation and improvement in quality of life in tribal communities.

The Union Minister explained that the STI Hubs initiative has been designed to address last-mile challenges in adoption and delivery of technology solutions through collaboration between scientific institutions, local stakeholders and community networks.

He said the programme also promotes grassroots innovation, capacity building and locally relevant technology deployment suited to regional requirements.

According to the minister, the Department of Science and Technology has established 53 STI Hubs across states and Union Territories, including several tribal and Northeastern regions.

Alexander Laloo Hek informed the Union Minister about the potential of Meghalaya and the broader Northeast region for wider implementation of innovation-led community development initiatives.

The discussions also explored strengthening institutional partnerships between Central scientific bodies and local stakeholders to improve outreach of STI programmes in the region.

Jitendra Singh encouraged Northeastern states to increase participation in the STI Hub initiative and suggested that future programme proposals be developed in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology.

The Meghalaya minister also invited Jitendra Singh to visit the state in connection with upcoming public welfare and development initiatives.