Bangalore, Sep 1 (IANS) The autonomous National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) has become a state-run body and brought under the Indian Space Research Organsiation (ISRO), the space agency said Monday.Renamed the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), the Hyderabad-based entity will be integrated with other ISRO centres for the development and operations of the ground segment under India’s remote sensing programme.

“The society has been merged with ISRO in view of the allied activities carried out in aerial and satellite remote sensing,” ISRO said in a statement.

To be headed by ISRO’s former earth observation system director V. Jayaraman, the central government will play a major role in national programmes through linkages with the ministries of agriculture, water resources, urban development and home affairs as well as the National Disaster Management Authority.

“The centre will monitor the large constellation of India Remote Sensing Satellites (IRRS) and will be involved in the research and development phase of IRS programme,” the statement added.

The society was set up in 1974 under the science and technology department. It was transferred to the space department in 1982, with a view to undertaking and facilitating remote sensing across the country.

It also runs a training centre - Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) - at Dehra Dun for capacity building.