Bhopal: India is considering a manned mission to space soon, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair said Thursday.

"We are seriously considering a manned space mission. But we will first have to study and prepare a report within a year on newer technologies to develop capsules to send men to space and bring them back safely," Nair told a press conference here.

The study report would be sent to the government for approval, he said.

Nair was here in connection with the organisation of the Bharatiya Vigyan Sammelan (BVS), a national science meet scheduled in November.

He said a mission to Mars too was at a theoretical stage.

Nair said that the space agency would soon start 12 village resources centres in Madhya Pradesh that would help provide services like tele-medicine, tele-education and application of remote sensing data.

The centres will provide information on natural resources for planning and development at the local level in the fields of agriculture, land and water resources management and weather.

The BVS is being jointly organised by ISRO, Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology (MAPCOST), Vijnana Bharati (VB) - the Science Movement working among the masses - and Rajiv Gandhi Praudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) at Bhopal in a bid to popularise science and technology in regional languages, said P.B. Sharma, the vice chancellor of RGPV.

"The focal theme of the conference is Integral Scientific Management of Natural Resources For Sustainable Development with special focus on Best Traditional and Current Practices in Agri-Forestry and Rural Technology in India and Abroad," he said.

In addition to individual delegates and representatives from institutions, the conference will also have associate delegates comprising of post-graduates and research scholars as observers, selected from R&D institutions, colleges and universities.

"Language plays a very significant role in the lab-to-land concept. In our country, with 23 official languages including Hindi and English, it plays a key role in science and technology dissemination among the masses," said MAPCOST director Mahesh Sharma.

An exhibition showcasing India's achievements in science and technology is also planned from Nov 21 to 26 at the Lal Parade Ground, Bhopal.