In a post on X, Minister Priyank Kharge noted that the move aims to "bring the wonders of astronomy closer to children and communities in rural Karnataka."
Published Jan 04, 2025 | 10:59 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 04, 2025 | 11:00 AM
Karnataka government signs MoU with IIA to promote astronomy. (iStock)
Karnataka Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge on Friday, 3 January announced that the Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department has signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) to promote astronomy through the “Arivu Kendras” (gram panchayat libraries) present across the state.
In a post on X, the minister noted that the move aims to “bring the wonders of astronomy closer to children and communities in rural Karnataka.”
The RDPR operates 5,880 “Arivu Kendras” across the state, primarily located in rural areas and managed by library supervisors.
The minister further noted that through this collaboration, IIA will help train the library supervisors, to develop astronomy resources in Kannada, and organise engaging activities related to celestial events.
“Communities will have access to information about astronomical phenomena visible to the naked eye and everyday concepts in astronomy. Supervisors will be equipped to conduct hands-on activities, especially for children, using affordable and accessible methods,” he added in the X post.
Emphasising that the partnership will promote scientific temperament among the youngsters in the rural areas, he added, “Online interactions through the Arivu Kendras’ Computer Labs, such as talks, contests and digital tools, will further enrich this initiative. Training on using small telescopes will add a practical element, allowing people to directly experience the beauty of the cosmos.”
Dept of @rdprgok and Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote astronomy through our rural libraries, Arivu Kendra to bring the wonders of astronomy closer to children and communities in rural Karnataka.
Through this…
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) January 3, 2025
According to a report by the news agency PTI, Arundhati Chandrashekar, commissioner of Karnataka Panchayat Raj Commissionerate, RDPR department said, “Promoting astronomy and science, especially in Kannada, will enhance science literacy, particularly among students who access our ‘Arivu Kendras’, and through them, foster scientific temperament in the rural community.”
Meanwhile, Annapurni Subramaniam, director of IIA, noted, “Rural communities have a fantastic scientific resource—access to darker night skies due to reduced light pollution. We have been working with a few ‘Arivu Kendras’, especially through our COSMOS-Mysuru project, and we look forward to a successful collaboration with the department to spread astronomy throughout rural Karnataka through our dedicated outreach section.”
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
