In September, hundred students from rural areas of Pune district will participate in educational exposure tours to NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The programme is part of a collaborative initiative between the Pune Zilla Parishad and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune.
In the second year of this programme, out of 100 students 25 each will visit NASA and ESA and remaining 50 will visit ISRO. Last year, 25 students visited NASA and 50 students visited ISRO.
The program is designed to introduce rural students to global space research.
This year, the programme has grown to include ESA. Shirur block registered the highest number of selections with 16 students, followed by Khed with 13 and Haveli with 10.
Students from all 13 blocks in Pune district have been chosen.
Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil stated that the programme aims to broaden the perspectives of as many rural students as possible.
Students who reached the final stage of selection but were not included in the list will be offered opportunities to join educational tours to Delhi, and some will take part in a Student Exchange Programme to visit border states and experience their culture, traditions, and diversity.
