Satellite-based Village Resource Centres

ISRO has embarked upon setting up Village Resource Centres (VRC) with a view to integrating the capabilities of communication and remote sensing satellites to address the changing and critical needs of rural communities. VRC is a totally interactive VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal)-based network to provide space enabled information related to land records, natural resources, sites for drinking water wells, and for recharging ground water, wastelands that can be reclaimed, environment, infrastructure, alternate cropping pattern, and so on. VRCs will also provide a variety of services like teleeducation, telemedicine, online decision support, interactive farmers’ advisory services, tele-fishery, e-governance services, weather services, and water management. At the same time, VRCs will provide connectivity to speciality hospitals thus bringing the services of expert doctors closer to the villages. The Prime Minister inaugurated the first cluster of three VRCs established jointly by ISRO and the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation in October, 2004, connecting four villages in Tamil Nadu. 

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