Imphal: A five-day training programme on seismic hazards concluded at Manipur University on Friday, with 39 academic participants from across India taking part. More than half of the participants were women.
The programme was jointly organised by the CSIR–National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI) and the university’s Department of Earth Sciences. It was funded under the CSIR-Integrated Skill Initiative of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology.
At the valedictory ceremony, Environment and Climate Change Director Tourangbam Brajkumar Singh called for more specialised scientific training in Manipur, given the region’s high seismic risk. He said local studies were essential to generate data for disaster risk reduction.
At the inauguration on October 12, Vice-Chancellor R.K. Hemakumar Singh called for expanded regional training partnerships to strengthen scientific capacity in colleges across the Northeast.
The programme aimed to equip postgraduate and PhD scholars with advanced skills to assess current and future earthquake hazards. CSIR-NGRI scientist Abhey Ram Bansal and CSIR-HRDC scientist Vinay Kumar spoke about the importance of practical, research-based training in developing technical expertise.
Training Coordinator Avinash Kumar Chauhan said participants came from institutions across India, including Delhi, Osmania and Bangalore universities.
He expressed hope that continued institutional collaboration would help local researchers access specialised national facilities.
As part of the programme, visiting CSIR-NGRI scientists assessed the Manipur University Seismic Observatory and reviewed its monitoring infrastructure.
The event also included a tree plantation drive led by Department of Earth Sciences head Y. Raghumani Singh.
It concluded with a vote of thanks acknowledging the contributions of the participating national institutions, university administration and student volunteers.