Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K Kasturirangan said a successful programme called Crop Acreage and Production Estimates (CAPE) was now being enlarged into a comprehensive scheme called FASAL (Forecasting Agricultural output). He was delivering the prestigious Prof Y Nayudamma memorial lecture on ``The Indian Space Programme: Its Contributions to Society'' here on Friday.

With vital inputs like space agro-meteorology and land-based observations, Fasal would use an integrated approach for providing multiple forecasts for farmers. ``Currently, Fasal has been launched in five states Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Orissa, and Uttar Pradesh. Theprogramme envisages establishment of a National Centre for Crop Forecasting (NCCF) under the Ministry of Agriculture to act as a nodal agency, which would have linkage with major participating states and institutions,'' Kasturirangan said.

Next year, with the launch of a satellite called Oceansat as part of the International Year of the Oceans, special cameras and devices would monitor the colour and surface temperatures of the waters to determine the movement of fish. Fishermen would then be alerted to rush to the area for a better catch.

Another major sky mission on the anvil is identification of sites for ground water exploration to provide drinking water so that all may have access to safe drinking water by the year 2002. ``This mission is also an extension of the successful project carried out earlier in the country for identifying drinking water sources in over 1.5 lakh problem villages under the National Drinking Water Technology Mission. In addition to identifying prospective sites for diggingdrinking water wells at the problem habitats, sites for ground water recharge structures would also be identified for ensuring water availability on a sustainable basis,'' he said.

The remote-sensing missions planned for the next few years were mainly based on the application thrust areas. The disaster warning systems would be further expanded to reduce the forecasting gap. Kasturirangan said the high resolution cameras on the remote-sensing satellites were able to provide a complete picture within 72 hours, of the extent of damage in the recent cyclone that hit Kandla Port in Gujarat.

Earlier, in his inaugural address, Secretary of Science & Technology V Ramamurthy said there should be a spirit of adventure in science. Dr Anji Reddy, chairman of the Reddy Group of Laboratories, presided. The Nayudamma memorial gold medal was awarded to former vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad and current chairman of the Indian Institute of Science, Govardhan Mehta. Four students -- Vanara Pragathi, R P JReddy, M A Baig and Kamal Shah -- were awarded the Y Nayudamma memorial medals.