National Rainfed Area Authority Organizes Brainstorming Workshop on Satellite and Drone-based Survey for Watershed Planning and Monitoring under REWARD Programme

The National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), as a knowledge partner of Department of Land Resources (DoLR) organised a brainstorming workshop on "Satellite and Drone-based Survey for Watershed Planning & Monitoring" under the World Bank assisted REWARD program (Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through innovative Development) in Jaipur, Rajasthan on Wednesday.

Dr. Susama Sudhishri, Technical Expert (Watershed Development) and Project In-charge, REWARD, NRAA, welcomed all participants and highlighted the purpose of the workshop.

The workshop was graced by Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, NRAA, GoI who suggested that the National Technical Guidelines (NTG) should provide clear guidance on the appropriate use of satellite-based and drone-based surveys for watershed planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation across different regions.

The other dignitaries who participated in the deliberations were Dr. Joga Ram, IAS, Secretary and Commissioner Panchayati Raj, Government of Rajasthan, Sh.YVK Shanmukh Kumar, IFS, Director, Watersheds, Andhra Pradesh, Mrs. Kalpana Agarwal, Director, WD&SC, Rajasthan, Dr. S. Bandyopadhyay, Director, MNCFC, MOA&FW, New Delhi, Ms. Sushila Yadav, Chief Engineer & JS (Soil & Conservation), Gov. of Maharashtra and officials from other States, national institutes, government departments, industries, and NGOs.

The workshop is being organized to deliberate on the latest advancements and practical applications of satellite and drone technologies for watershed development and to obtain expert guidance for incorporating standardized methodologies into the National Technical Guideline which will be an input to WDC-PMKSY 3.0.

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RC/MS