The project was started in collaboration with the West Bengal State Council of Science and Technology (WBSCST) on Friday.

“In recent times, a debate over the use of land has come up. In our state, the density of population is very high and a large portion of the land is used for agricultural purposes,” said Minister for Industries and Commerce Nirupam Sen.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the course at Bikash Bhavan.

Sen added that the use of geo-informatics and remote-sensing technology could help one identify how much land is required for agriculture, industry and town planning.

“The character of land changes from time to time. Six months ago, a land that was considered fit for agriculture might not be the same now. Only technology will not help. We have to develop a trained manpower to use it,” he said.

The state government will also come up with the Natural Resource Data Management System (NRDMS) to be set up in each district. The use of IT and space research will help the panchayat system and policies can be generated from the grassroots level, the minister said. According to officials of DSTWB, the state government is not receiving skilled manpower to run the NRDMS project. At present, only 10 scientists are working in DSTWB in the area of geo-informatics and remote sensing.

On Friday, 12 students were inducted into the one-year diploma course on geo-informatics.

To be eligible for the course, a student must have a degree in any of the earth science subjects like geology, geography, agriculture and a minimum of 55 per cent marks at the graduation or post-graduation level. Bachelors in civil engineering are also eligible for the course.