New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Real-time train tracking is operational on over 10,400 locomotives and over 40,000 fishing vessels have been equipped with NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) receivers for tracking and emergency alerts, the Parliament was informed on Thursday.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the commercial and public utilisation of NavIC has seen significant growth over the past years.

“More than 60 mobile handset models from major global manufacturers support positioning with NavIC. To strengthen the constellation, ISRO is in the process of launching the NVS series (NVS-03, NVS-04, and NVS-05) of second-generation satellites,” the minister informed.

He further stated that disaster alerts and personal distress connectivity is provided through GSAT and NavIC/GAGAN systems under Vessel Communication and Support Systems (VCSS) of Department of Fisheries.

In addition, search-and-rescue using three satellites under COSPAS-SARSAT programme have been used to save lives during many distress incidents in the Indian service area.

Moreover, NavIC one way messaging service broadcasts emergency warnings for cyclones, tsunamis, and high wave alerts directly to NavIC-enabled receivers on boats — in coordination with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).

Singh said that the system provides potential fishing zone (PFZ) advisories to help fishermen locate fish aggregations, saving fuel and time, while simultaneously providing International Maritime Boundary alerts to prevent accidental straying into foreign waters.

According to an official statement, satellite internet services are emerging as critical solution to bridge India’s digital divide. Programmes like BharatNet and Digital India already leverages use of satellite connectivity in broadband area to expand the reach.

The benefit of communication satellites are translated in terms of applications like television broadcasting, DTH television, telecommunication, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services, Radio networking, Headend In The Sky (HITS), Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG), In-Flight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC), and societal applications.

–IANS

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