GUWAHATI, Nov 20: Six students of Assam are on their way to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoion Tuesday kicked-off theNASA tour at a function held at NEDFi House in Guwahati. As part of its vision to groom a creativegeneration of students, the Assam Government has decided to take the toppers of the High SchoolLeaving Certificate (HSLC) examination and the Assam High Madrassa (AHM) examination on an exposure visit to NASA. This programme is dedicated to the memory of Deba Kumar Bora, former minister and pressadvisor to the Chief Minister.
The six students selected for the first NASA visit are Gyandeep Sarmah, Bhaswati Deka, Stuty Khound, Shahinoor Rahman, Parijat Priyadarshini and Priyanka Bezbaruah. Another student, Ratul Khan, could not make it for the NASA visit due to visa problems. The six students left for New Delhi at 3 pm on Tuesday.
The tour of 14 days will also include a visit to Washington DC and New York to see places of educational interest.
Speaking at the function, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoisaid, "To succeed, one needs ambition. One has to broaden his outlook. The government has therefore started this programme so that we can groom our new generation to develop a scientific bent of mind. This programme has beendedicated to Deba Kumar Bora because he had always taken a keen interest in the activities of students and he laid importance on science and technology."
The Chief Minister also released a book on Deba Kumar Bora.
Bora's wife and OSD to theChief Minister, Barnali Saikia Bora said, "With this programme, the government has acknowledged Deba Kumar Bora's scientific bent of mind."
State Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked the six students to learn as much as they could from the tour, and not to treat it as a luxury trip. "The students, on their return, will have to tell what they have learntfrom the NASA visit. This will be published so that other students can gather valuable knowledge." (SentinelAssam)