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PM kickstarts 50th Anniversary Celebrations of ICRISAT and inaugurates two research facilities

Published By : Admin | February 5, 2022 | 14:17 IST
“Your research and technology have helped making agriculture easy and sustainable”
“Pro planet people movement is not limited to just words, but is also reflected in the actions of the Government of India”
“India’s focus is on the fusion of ‘back to basic’ and ‘march to future’ to protect its farmers from climate challenge”
“India’s efforts are increasing relentlessly for empowering farmers through digital technology”
“During the Amrit Kaal, India is focussing on inclusive growth along with higher agriculture growth”
“We wish to create an alert and potent market force out of small farmers by organizing them into thousands of FPOs”
“We are focusing on food security as well as nutrition security. With this vision we have developed many bio-fortified varieties in the last 7 years”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visited the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) campus in Patancheru, Hyderabad and kickstarted the 50th Anniversary celebrations of ICRISAT. The Prime Minister also inaugurated ICRISAT’s Climate Change Research Facility on Plant Protection and ICRISAT’s Rapid Generation Advancement Facility. These two facilities are dedicated to the smallholder farmers of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Prime Minister also unveiled a specially designed logo of ICRISAT and launched a commemorative stamp issued on the occasion. Governor Telangana Smt Tamilisai Soundararajan, Union Ministers Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Shri G. Kishan Reddy were among those present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister noted the auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami and congratulated ICRISAT for 50 years. Underlining the importance of next 25 years for both the country and also for ICRISAT, the Prime Minister stressed the need for new goals and working for them. The Prime Minister lauded ICRISAT for their contribution in helping agriculture in large part of the world including India. He appreciated their contribution in water and soil management, improvement in crop variety, on-farm diversity and livestock integration. He also praised their holistic approach in integrating farmers with their markets and promoting pulses and chick pea production in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. “Your research and technology have helped making agriculture easy and sustainable”, Shri Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that the worst affected by climate change are the people on the last rung of development with little resources. That is why, the Prime Minister reiterated India’s request to the world to pay special attention to the climate changes. He talked of LIFE- Lifestyle for Environment; P3 - Pro planet people movements and India’s net zero target by 2070. “Pro planet people is a movement that connects every community, every individual with climate responsibility to tackle the climate challenge. This is not limited to just words, but is also reflected in the actions of the Government of India”, he added.

Referring to 15 Agro-Climatic Zones and 6 seasons of the country, the Prime Minister highlighted the depth of ancient experience of Indian agriculture. He pointed out that India’s focus is on the fusion of ‘back to basic’ and ‘march to future’ to protect its farmers from climate challenge. “Our focus is on our more than 80 per cent farmers who are small and needs us the most”, the Prime Minister said.

He mentioned another dimension of changing India i.e. digital agriculture which he termed as India’s future and stressed that talented Indian youth can contribute a great deal in this. He listed areas like crop assessment, land records digitization, spraying insecticides and nutrients by drones which are witnessing increased use of technology and artificial intelligence. “India’s efforts are increasing relentlessly for empowering farmers through digital technology”, he said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that in the Amrit Kaal, India is focussing on inclusive growth along with higher agriculture growth. Women in agri-sector, are being supported through self-help groups. “Agriculture has the potential to take a large chunk of population out of poverty and take them towards better life-style. This Amrit Kaal will also provide new means to the farmers of geographically difficult areas”, he said.

The Prime Minister said that India is working on a dual strategy. On the one hand, a large part of the land is being brought under irrigation through water conservation and connecting of rivers. Water use efficiency through micro irrigation is being encouraged in areas with limited irrigation, on the other.

The Prime Minister said that National Mission for self-reliance in edible oils indicates India’s new approach. The Mission aims to increase palm oil area by 6 lakh hectare. “This will help Indian farmers at every level and will prove very beneficial for the famers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana”, the Prime Minister pointed out. He also dwelled on the steps taken to strengthen post-harvest infrastructure like creating cold chain storage capacity of 35 million tonnes and creation of 1 lakh crore rupees Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.

India is also focusing on establishing FPOs and Agriculture value chain. “We wish to create an alert and potent market force out of small farmer by organizing them into thousands of FPOs”, he said.

The Prime Minister said that India’s goal is not just increasing food grain production. India has enough surplus food grain to run one of the world’s big food security programme. “We are focusing on food security as well as nutrition security. With this vision, we have developed many bio-fortified varieties in the last 7 years”.

ICRISAT is an international organisation that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia & sub-Saharan Africa. It helps farmers by providing improved crop varieties and hybrids and also helps smallholder farmers in the drylands fight climate change.

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Narendra Modi: The Go-To Man in Times of Crises
November 29, 2023

“I salute the determination of all those involved in this rescue campaign. Their courage and resolve have given a new life to our fellow workers. Everyone involved in this mission has set a remarkable example of humanity and teamwork,” PM Modi said in a telephonic conversation with the rescued workers who were successfully pulled out of a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand.

41 workers had been trapped in the Silkyara tunnel for the past 17 days. The rescue operation, involving both advanced machinery and ingenious manual skill, lasted over 400 hours. The remarkable resilience displayed by the trapped workers, the dedicated rescue team, and the overarching administrative efforts collectively exemplify an impressive showcase of grit and perseverance.

This massive operation led by the central and state rescue teams is another example of Modi government’s deep commitment to the principles of federalism. It is also a masterclass in effective and timely mobilisation of resources to address the needs of citizens facing distressing situations.

Operation Ganga: Safely Evacuating Over 20,000 Indian Students from Ukraine
However, this is not something that we are seeing for the first time. Operation Ganga, a monumental effort to evacuate over 22,000 Indian students from Ukraine amidst a war, stands as a remarkable achievement. The mission entailed pooling of substantial resources, the provision of humanitarian assistance and the creation of a safe passage for students to return home. Prime Minister Modi was involved in every intricate detail of the operation—right from logistics to the diplomatic reach-out. In addition, to personally coordinate the entire rescue mission, four Union Ministers were dispatched to four neighbouring countries to Ukraine. On the home front, efforts were made to assuage the concerns of every parent, ensuring they were reassured about the swift and secure return of their children.

This is the Modi government’s ‘whole-of-government’ approach, where swift coordination between diverse ministries, government departments and public agencies leads to coherent action giving exceptional results.

The Machchhu Dam Disaster of 1979
However, the groundwork for Prime Minister Modi's mass mobilization approach was established during the early years of his public service. A striking and pioneering instance of this approach emerged during the Machchhu dam failure, commonly known as the Morbi disaster. It came to known as history’s biggest dam-related disaster unleashing a flood of water through the city of Morbi in 1979, leading to over 25,000 casualties and earning the unfortunate distinction of being the worst dam burst according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

At that time, Narendra Modi, an RSS Karyakarta in Gujarat, undertook extraordinary efforts to assist those affected on the ground. He leveraged the organisational strength of the RSS by mobilising the karyakartas in the time of crisis. He did not stop there. In the demoralizing aftermath, Narendra Modi, in his inimitable style, penned an inspirational letter to motivate the youth in Morbi to rebuild their lives.

The monumental relief efforts in Morbi spanned over a span of over two months, during which Narendra Modi who was an RSS Sangathak in Gujarat, demonstrated exemplary leadership, by personally taking charge and remaining at the forefront until the last bus taking volunteers home departed. Along with RSS volunteers, he assessed the situation and created a detailed plan through which teams were assigned specific tasks to address the different problems arising from the tragedy. Governments can take time before they can choose a course of action. But the 29-year-old worker Narendra Modi, pursued a singular course of action - reaching the people and find ways to alleviate their suffering.

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Another compelling instance of Narendra Modi's commitment to mobilizing every available resource for swift and effective resolution, is the handling of the devastating 2001 earthquake that shook the state of Gujarat. Even before assuming role as Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, then a BJP karyakarta, immediately rushed to ground zero to aid the affected.

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Upon assuming the role of Chief Minister shortly after, Modi chose to spend Diwali in 2001 in Bhuj, in solidarity with the earthquake victims. Shortly afterward, CM Modi displayed sensitive leadership when he organized a mass worship offering to Mother Earth, alleviating fears caused by the earthquake.

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Today, we see that this personal abilitiy of PM Modi has transformed into institutional power. This ‘whole-of-government’ approach has transformed the governance paradigm in India, and today one can proudly say that it was an all of government, all of India operation.