Spotlight shines on ocean research and coastal security institutions

NT Reporter

Panaji

The crucial role of scientific research institutions and coastal security agencies in understanding and protecting the country’s marine and polar ecosystems was highlighted during a day-long workshop for media persons, organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Goa at Old Goa on Thursday.

The workshop, themed ‘Know the Oceans around Us’, was organised in
collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), and the Indian Coast Guard. Around 40 journalists from various media organisations in Goa participated in the workshop.

“It is the need of the hour that the public is kept informed about the schemes, programmes, and plans of the Centre and the kind of work Central government institutions are doing for the public and the country. Programmes like this will serve that purpose,” said Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Sadanand Shet Tanavade.

Director, PIB Goa, Nana Meshram said the objective of Vartalap was to strengthen dialogue and collaboration between government communicators and media professionals.

“Vartalap provides a space for journalists and government officials to interact, discuss, and clarify information related to government initiatives. Here, we have collaborated with NIO and NCPOR, which are prominent institutions involved in scientific research on oceans, and the Indian Coast Guard, which is involved in the security of our oceans. Through the workshop, the media persons can get an understanding of the functioning of these institutions,” said Meshram.

In the session on CSIR-NIO, Dr Manguesh Gauns, Chief Scientist, gave an overview of the institution’s scientific activities, while Dr Pawan Devangan, Senior Principal Scientist, spoke on ‘Insights from Biological and Geological Oceanography.’

The NCPOR session was conducted by Dr Avinash Kumar, Scientist E, and Dr Swati Nagar, Project Scientist, who explained the Centre’s work on polar science.

Deputy Commandant N Arun Kumar spoke about the Indian Coast Guard’s role in safeguarding the nation’s coastal regions.