BENGALURU: After benefitting from NavICs (Navigation with Indian Constellation) alerts on the proximity of international waters, fishermen will soon be able to send distress messages or text messages to their families from the sea.
The project was envisaged after several fishermen lost their lives during the cyclone off Kerala coast last year. Speaking at the Bengaluru Space Expo, Rama Subramanian, Programme Director, U R Rao Space Centre (Navigation), said that one of the eight satellites used for IRNSS had developed some complications. The satellite will now be used for messaging signals, he said. Shishir Verma, senior vice president of MapMyIndia — the firm that collaborated with ISRO for the NavIC fishermen app — said the app can also help in avoiding unwanted arrests of fishermen.