: COSMOS to build good learning ecosystem: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman #IndiaNEWS #News Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lays foundation stone for Rs. 81 crore project Mysuru: The Cosmology

COSMOS to build good learning ecosystem: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman #IndiaNEWS #News
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lays foundation stone for Rs. 81 crore project

Mysuru: The Cosmology Education and Research Training Centre (COSMOS) — featuring a planetarium — the foundation stone for which was laid by Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman at the University of Mysore’s Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Centre for Higher Learning campus at the foot of Chamundi Hill, will build a good learning ecosystem in the Mysuru region.

“It will democratise learning and will be available for all. It will facilitate young minds to learn and disseminate knowledge to the world with substance,�? the FM said. The Rs. 81 crore project is expected to be realised by March 2023.

Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in a helicopter at Mysore Airport in Mandakalli from Bengaluru and headed straight to the foot of Chamundi Hill for the event. After the event, she proceeded to Government Guest House for lunch and was scheduled to reach Hebbal on a private visit to a relative’s house near the Infosys campus. She will travel by road to Bengaluru in the evening, confirmed intelligence sources.

Conceptualisation of COSMOS

Taking the audience through the conceptualisation of the COSMOS, Nirmala Sitharaman said, “As an MP for Karnataka, I wanted to do something unique, apart from attending to my regular duties as an MP and a Minister. My former Personal Secretary, a Karnataka-cadre IAS Officer, came up with the idea of a planetarium and it gradually developed into this mega scale. The idea was germinated two years ago and now it has become a Rs. 81 crore project,�? she said.

Acknowledging the contributions of Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor, K. N. Vyas, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, Dr. S. Chandrashekar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology and Prof. Annapurni Subramaniam, Director, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, the Minister said that if Secretaries of different Departments think alike, it will achieve wonders. “This is exactly what happened here with beautiful coordination with the University of Mysore,�? she said, looking at the officers who were present on the dais.

Real-time astro data

“With COSMOS, the Ladakh sky can be viewed in Mysuru in real time as the data from telescopes from all over the world is available here along with the data of the past and the present. It is not just a planetarium but is a world in itself. This will enable young minds to acquire knowledge, facilitate learning and empower them to use the data guided by scientists and astrophysicists,�? she added.

Before Nirmala Sitharaman addressed the gathering, Prof.