For the first time, farmers of West Bengal will benefit from this scheme
Wheat procurement at MSP has set new records this year
Government is fighting COVID-19 with all its might
This exchange with all the farmer colleagues raises a new hope and creates a new confidence. As our Minister, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar ji, was saying now that today is Bhagwan Basaveswara Jayanti and Parshuram Jayanti also. Today is also the auspicious festival of Akshaya Tritiya. I also wish the countrymen Happy Eid.
With the wish that the morale of all the countrymen remains high in times of Corona and their resolve is further strengthened to defeat this pandemic, I would like to take forward the discussion that I had with all the farmer brothers. Present in this programme Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar ji, my other colleagues in the Union Cabinet, all chief ministers, hon’ble ministers of state governments, MPs, MLAs and my farmer brothers and sisters from all over the country,
Today, we are holding this discussion in a very challenging time. Even during this period of Corona, the farmers of the country, while discharging their responsibility in the agriculture sector, have produced record food grains and are experimenting new methods in agriculture. Another instalment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is going to support your efforts. Today is the auspicious festival of Akshaya Tritiya, the beginning of the new cycle of agriculture, and today about 19,000 crore rupees have been transferred directly to the bank accounts of farmers. It will benefit about 10 crore farmers. The farmers of Bengal are going to get the benefit of this facility for the first time. Today, lakhs of farmers of Bengal have received their first instalment. As the names of farmers from the State are forwarded to the Central Government, the number of beneficiary farmers will increase further.
Friends,
The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is benefiting small and marginal farmers more in particular. This amount is proving to be of great use to these farmer families in these trying circumstances. So far, about 1,35,000 crore rupees have reached about 11 crore farmers of the country under this scheme. That is, more than 1,25,000 crore rupees directly into the accounts of the farmers and without any middleman. Out of this, more than 60,000 crore rupees have been transferred to the farmers’ accounts in the Corona period alone. It is the government's constant endeavour to extend help directly and quickly and with complete transparency to those who need it the most.
Brothers and sisters,
Providing rapid and direct benefits to the farmers in government procurement of produce is also being done on a very comprehensive scale. While farmers have made record productions in agriculture and horticulture amid the challenges of Corona, the Government is also setting new procurement records on MSP every year. Record purchases of paddy earlier and now wheat are happening. So far, about 10 per cent more wheat has been procured at MSP this year as compared to the previous year. So far, about 58,000 crore rupees of wheat procurement has reached the farmers' accounts directly. Above all, the farmers don’t have to worry and wait long for their money for the produce being sold in mandis now. The money which rightfully belongs to the farmers is being directly credited to their bank accounts. I am satisfied that lakhs of farmers of Punjab and Haryana have become part of this direct transfer facility for the first time. So far, about 18,000 crore rupees have been credited to the bank accounts of farmers of Punjab and 9,000 crore rupees directly into the bank accounts of farmers of Haryana. The farmers of Punjab and Haryana are also experiencing and speaking vocally about the satisfaction of getting their entire money directly into their bank accounts. I have seen several videos on social media where farmers, particularly from Punjab, are speaking with enthusiasm regarding the direct transfer of the entire money into their bank accounts.
Friends,
The Government is constantly making efforts to provide new solutions and options in farming. Promoting organic farming is one such effort. Such crops also have low costs, are beneficial for soil and human health and also command better prices. A short while ago, I had a discussion with some farmers across the country engaged in this kind of farming. I am very excited to know about their spirit and experiences. Now organic farming is being encouraged extensively within a radius of about 5 kilometres on both sides of the Ganga so that the chemical used in the field does not flow into the Ganga during rains and the river is not polluted. These organic products being made available in the market are branded Namami Gange. Similarly, the natural farming system is also being encouraged on a large scale. At the same time, the Government is making efforts to provide cheap and easy bank loans to small and marginal farmers. For this, a special drive has been launched for the last one-and-a-half years for providing Kisan Credit Cards. More than 2 crore Kisan Credit Cards have been issued during this period. Farmers have taken loans worth more than 2 lakh crore rupees on these cards. Farmers associated with animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries have also started getting a huge benefit. Recently, the Government has taken another important decision and my farmer brothers and sisters would be happy with the government's decision as it will be very beneficial to them. In view of the Corona period, the Government has decided to extend the deadline for payment or renewal of KCC loans. All farmers can now renew their outstanding loans by June 30. Even during this extended period, the farmers will continue to get the benefit of the loans at 4 per cent interest.
Friends,
The contribution of the villages and farmers has been immense in India's fight against Corona. It is the result of your efforts that India is running the world's largest free ration scheme during the Corona period. Free ration was given to the poor for eight months last year under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. Provisions have been made to ensure free ration to more than 80 crore colleagues in the months of May and June. The government is spending 26,000 crore rupees in this regard. I would urge the state governments to ensure that the poor do not have any problem in getting the free ration.
Friends,
After 100 years, such a deadly epidemic is testing the world at every step. There is an invisible enemy in front of us. And this enemy is imposter also and due to which we have lost many of our close ones. The pain that the countrymen have endured for some time now, the pain that many people have gone through, I feel the same pain. Being your ‘Pradhan Sevak’, I share your sentiment. All the bottlenecks during the second wave of Corona are being addressed. Efforts are being made on a war footing. You must have seen that all the departments of the Government, all the resources, the security forces of our country, our scientists, everyone is united in meeting the challenge of COVID. COVID hospitals are being set up rapidly in different parts of the country and oxygen plants are being set up with new technology. All our three forces -- Air Force, Navy and Army -- are engaged in this work with full force. Oxygen rails have been a big boost in this fight against Corona. These special trains are engaged in delivering oxygen to the remote parts of the country. Truck drivers carrying oxygen tankers are working non-stop. Be it doctors, nursing staff, sanitation workers, lab technicians, ambulance drivers, sample collectors – all are working 24 hours to save every individual. Efforts are on a war footing to augment the supply of essential medicines in the country. The government and the pharma sector of the country have augmented the production of essential medicines manifold in the last few days. Medicines are also being imported. In times of crisis, some people are engaged in hoarding and black marketing of medicines and essential commodities due to their vested interests. I would urge the state governments to take the strongest possible action against such people. This is an act against humanity. India is not a country that loses courage. Neither India nor any Indian will lose courage. We will fight and win.
Through this event, I want all the farmers and brothers and sisters living in villages to remain alert against Corona. This pandemic is spreading fast in rural villages. Every government is taking efforts to meet with this challenge. Awareness about this among rural people and cooperation of the panchayat institutes are equally important. You have never disappointed the nation and this is also expected of you this time. All the necessary steps at personal, family and social levels need to be taken to prevent Corona. It is very necessary to wear masks continuously and in a way so that the nose and face are completely covered. Secondly, do not take symptoms like cough, cold, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea lightly. First you have to isolate yourself and then get the Corona test done quickly. Start the medication as advised by doctors till the report comes.
Friends,
Vaccination is the best defence against Corona. The Central and state governments are doing their best to increase vaccination. About 18 crore vaccine doses have been given in the country. Free vaccination is on in government hospitals across the country. Therefore, get yourself vaccinated when your turn comes. This will give us protection and reduce the risk of serious illness. And yes, wearing of masks and distance of two yards has to be maintained even after vaccination. Once again, I extend my best wishes to all my farmer friends.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacts with participants of Smart India Hackathon 2024
December 11, 2024
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The talent and ingenuity of our Yuva Shakti is remarkable: PM
Today the world is saying that the strength of India is our youth power, our innovative youth, our tech power: PM
Many of the solutions of all the hackathons that have taken place in the last 7 years are proving to be very useful for the people of the country today: PM
We have implemented the new National Education Policy to nurture scientific mindset in students: PM
Under ‘One Nation One Subscription’ scheme, Government is taking subscriptions of reputed journals so that no youth in India is deprived of any information: PM
Over 1300 student teams to participate at the Grand Finale of SIH 2024 at 51 nodal centres across the country
150% increase recorded this year in internal hackathons at institute level, making this the largest edition so far
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacted with young innovators at the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2024 today, via video conferencing. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Prime Minister reminded about reiterating ‘Sabka Prayas’ from his addresses from the Red Fort. He said that the India of today can progress at a fast pace with ‘sabka prayas’ or everyone’s effort and that today’s occasion is an example. “I have been eagerly waiting for the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon”, the Prime Minister said highlighting that he gets an opportunity to learn and understand something new when he is among young innovators. Pointing out his high expectations with the young innovators, the Prime Minister said they have the perspective to look at India of the 21st century differently. Therefore, Shri Modi said, your solutions are also different and when a new challenge arrives, you come up with new and unique solutions. The Prime Minister recalled being part of Hackathons in the past and said that he has never been disappointed with the output. “You have only emboldened my belief”, he said, underlining that the solutions provided in the past are being put to use in various Ministries. Shri Modi expressed eagerness to know more about the participants and began the interaction.
The Prime Minister interacted with Sayeeda from ‘Big Brains Team’ from nodal center NIT, Srinagar who worked on a problem statement of building a tool called ‘Virtual Reality Friend’ from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which would cater to children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. She informed that the children would use the tool as an interactive skills enhancer which will act as ‘friend’ to such Divyangjan who can use it on their smartphones, laptops etc. She added that it is an AI powered Virtual reality solution which would assist them in their day to day activities like learning language or conversing with people etc. Upon enquiring the impact of the tool on social life of Divyang Children by Shri Modi, Ms. Sayeeda said they would be able to learn what is right or wrong during their social interaction and how to approach people with the help of the tool in a simulative environment which could be then applied in real life. Sayeeda informed the Prime Minister that her 6 member team was diverse in terms of technical knowledge and geographical location including a member who is non- Indian. Shri Modi enquired whether any of the team members had interacted with children with special needs to understand their difficulties, to which Sayeeda replied that one of the team member’s relative was suffering from autism and they had also interacted with centers dealing with children affected by autism to address their challenges. Another team member of ‘Big Brains Team’, Mr. Mohammed Ali, a student from Yemen, pursuing his Bachelors in Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering thanked the Prime Minister and the Government for a great initiative like Smart India Hackathon. He further invited international students to be a part of such great initiatives in times to come. The Prime Minister congratulated and thanked the team for understanding the needs and difficulties of Divyang Children and every child had the right to grow and prosper and nobody was left behind in the society. He added that new solutions would be necessary to overcome such challenges and said that their solution would be helpful to lakhs of children and although the solution was being developed locally, it would be needed at Global level too and its impact would be global. Shri Modi highlighted that solutions which would fit the needs of India would suffice the needs of any country in the Globe. He congratulated the entire team for their novel effort.
The team leader of ‘Hack Dreamers’ with their nodal center in IIT Kharagpur informed the Prime Minister about their problem statement of cyber security given by the National Technical Research Organization owing to the rising cyber-attacks in India. She informed that more than 73 million cyber attacks took place in the country in 2023 alone which is the third largest in the world and further briefed the Prime Minister about an innovative and scalable solution. A team member explained that the solution differs from the multiple antivirus engines used in the world and provides an offline architecture design and thread direction by parallelly scanning for viruses in efficient ways by maintaining the system in safe mode. The Prime Minister recalled speaking about cyber fraud in his recent Mann Ki Baat address and stated that a large population is affected by such malice. He also expressed the need to constantly upgrade with the latest technology as cyber threats are constantly evolving at a fast pace. Noting that India is one of the leading digital economies in the world and the nation is digitally connecting on different scales, the Prime Minister said that the threats of cybercrime are constantly on the rise. Therefore, the Prime Minister said, the solutions to cybercrime are crucial for India’s future. He conveyed his best wishes to the participants and said that such solutions can be extremely beneficial to the government as well. Shri Modi also acknowledged the enthusiasm of the team members.
Team Code Bro from Gujarat Technical University informed the Prime Minister about working on the problem statement provided by ISRO - ‘Enhancing the darker images from the South Pole of the Moon. A team member explained the name of the solution as ‘Chand Vadhani’ which not only enhances images but also comprises a decision-making skill. It detects craters and boulders while also performing real-time site selection. The Prime Minister enquired if the participants got an opportunity to interact with those working in the space technology domain, especially in Ahmedabad which is home to a huge space center. Upon the Prime Minister’s enquiry about getting a better understanding of the Moon’s geological and environmental conditions, a team member replied in the affirmative and said that it would aid the lunar exploration. Another team member further explained the use of a machine learning model consisting of two architectures namely dark net and photo net. The Prime Minister underlined that the world is looking at India’s space journey with hope and said that the inclusion of talented youth further strengthens the belief. He remarked that the young innovators are proof that India would expand its role in the global space technology power and conveyed his best wishes to all participants.
Team leader of Mystic Originals from Wellingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai informed about tackling a security challenge provided by Bharat Electronics Limited namely Micro Doppler based target classification which helps in distinguishing if a given object is a bird or a drone. She explained that a bird and a drone appear the same on the radar and can lead to false alarms and other potential security threats, especially in sensitive areas. Another team member delved into the details and explained that the solution makes use of Micro Doppler signatures which are the unique patterns generated by different objects, similar to unique fingerprints in human beings. Upon the Prime Minister’s enquiry if the solution could identify the speed, direction and distance, a team member replied that it would be achieved soon. Noting that drones have various positive uses, the Prime Minister pointed out that some forces are using drones to harm others and this has become a security challenge. Upon the Prime Minister’s enquiry if the solution provided is capable of dealing with such a challenge, a team member explained the process and said that it is a compact solution which could be used on cost-effective devices and is also adaptive to different environments. Another team member who hails from a border area in Rajasthan informed that the frequency of enemy drones in the sky increased rapidly after the Pulwama attack and the anti-drone defence system would be activated any time of the night. He said that this problem statement was chosen as the citizens faced a lot of difficulties. The Prime Minister highlighted the use of drones in various sectors of the country and gave the example of the Namo Drone Didi scheme. He also mentioned the use of drones for the transportation of medicines and essential supplies to remote areas in the country, whereas enemies use them for smuggling firearms and drugs across the border. The Prime Minister expressed happiness that the young innovators are working with extreme seriousness to tackle such issues of national security. He said that their innovation can give new dimensions to the export of defence technology. The Prime Minister conveyed his best wishes and acknowledged that one of the team members who hails from the border areas can understand the issue in detail and the need for solutions. He also urged them to keep updated with the latest technology as those making use of rogue drones are implementing new technology with each passing day. The Prime Minister also praised their efforts.
Team leader of Nirvana One from New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore informed the Prime Minister about the problem statement provided by the Ministry of Jal Shakti regarding reducing river pollution and improving river rejuvenation. Another team member said that the river Ganga was chosen for this project due to its cultural and spiritual significance. She informed that the project began as a result of the research carried out on Namami Gange and National Mission for Clean Ganga. She further added that a decision support system was created with the help of available data to aid the lives of the people living on the river bank. The team leader informed that 38 key locations were identified and local models were created with the help of Federated learning which interacts with a mother model, thereby increasing the accuracy. He also mentioned creating an advanced dashboard for every stakeholder. Upon the Prime Minister about how those attending the Mahakumbh could make use of the innovation, the team leader replied that the data analysis would help in performing disinfection at the personal level while also ensuring good health. He informed about providing different portals for industrial effluent monitoring, sewage treatment infrastructure, biodiversity management etc. For the drinking water supply chain, he informed the Prime Minister that a particular spike in pollutants can be backtracked to the industry causing it and keeping a check on grossly polluting industries. The Prime Minister said that the project is extremely critical from an ecological standpoint and expressed happiness that the team is working on such sensitive issues. He conveyed his best wishes to the team.
Thanking all the participants of the SIH, the Prime Minister said it was great to talk to all of them. Shri Modi remarked that the world of the future is going to be driven by knowledge and innovation and youth were India's hope and aspiration in changing situations. He added that their perspective, thinking and energy were different. Stressing that everyone’s aim was the same, the Prime Minister underscored that India should become the most innovative, progressive and prosperous country in the world. He added that the world was acknowledging that India's strength was its youth power who are innovative and India’s tech power. He further added that the strength of India was clearly visible in all of them at the Smart India Hackathon. Shri Modi was pleased that Smart India Hackathon had become an excellent platform to make the youth of India globally the best. He noted that since the inception of Smart India Hackathon, about 14 lakh students had participated and had formed 2 lakh teams and worked on about 3 thousand problems. He further added that more than 6400 institutions were associated with it while hundreds of new start-ups were born because of the hackathon. The Prime Minister noted that more than 7 thousand ideas were submitted by students in 2017 while the number of these ideas had increased to more than 57 thousand this year. This, he said, showed how the youth of India had come forward to solve the challenges of its country.
Informing that many solutions from the last seven hackathons were proving to be very useful for the people of the country today, the Prime Minister stressed that the hackathons had provided solutions to many big problems and cited an example from the 2022 hackathon, where a team of youth had worked on a system to measure the intensity of cyclones, which had now been integrated with the technology developed by ISRO. The PM cited another example where a team had created a Video Geotagging App, ensuring easy collection of data, which was now being used in space-related research. He added that another team worked on a real-time blood managing system that could provide details of the blood banks present there at the time of a natural disaster, which is helping agencies like NDRF a lot today. Citing another success story of Hackathon, Shri Modi said a few years ago, another team created a product for Divyangjans which is proving to be helpful in reducing difficulties in their lives. He added that till date hundreds of such successful case studies serve as an inspiration for youngsters participating in hackathon. The Prime Minister said that hackathons showed how the youth of the country are working with the government for the development of the country to deal with the challenges facing the country. He added that it was giving them a sense of ownership towards solving the problems of the country and the development of the country. Shri Modi expressed confidence that the country is on the right track to become a developed India. He lauded the eagerness and commitment with which the youth were finding innovative solutions to the problems of India.
Stressing the need to think out of the box for every challenge in the country's aspirations in today’s time, Shri Modi emphasized the need to incorporate out-of-the-box thinking in our habits in every sector. Highlighting the speciality of this Hackathon, the PM said its process is important as well as the product. Adding that there was a time when only the government used to claim to solve the country's problems, Shri Modi said, however, today, through such Hackathons, students, teachers and mentors are also being connected to solutions. He stressed that this was India's new governance model and 'Sabka Prayas' is the life force of this model.
Emphasizing that the generation of the next 25 years of the country is the Amrit generation of India, the Prime Minister said that the youth had the responsibility of building a developed India while the Government was committed to providing every needful resource at the right time. Adding that the Government was working on different layers in different age groups, the PM said that the Government had implemented the new National Education Policy to nurture scientific mindset in students and opened more than 10 thousand Atal Tinkering Labs to ensure that the next generation of the country gets resources for innovation in schools. Highlighting that these labs were becoming the center of new experiments now, he said that research was being done by more than one crore children. He added that more than 14 thousand PM Shri Schools were working on 21st Century Skills and the Government had established Incubation Centers at the college level to further improve the innovative thinking of students. Shri Modi remarked that advanced Robotics and AI Labs were also being used for practical learnings, while Jigyasa platform was created to solve the queries of the youth where they had the opportunity to directly connect and talk to scientists.
The Prime Minister underlined that today, apart from training, the youth were also being given financial help through the Startup India campaign and being given tax exemption. He added that Mudra loan of up to Rs 20 lakh was also arranged to set up their business. Shri Modi informed that technology parks and new IT hubs were being built across the country for new companies while the Government has created a research fund of Rs 1 lakh crore. He added that the government was standing with the youth at every stage of their career while working according to their needs. Emphasizing that the Hackathons were not just a formal event but also giving new opportunities to our youth, Shri Modi said that it was the process of evolving into a permanent institution, a part of their Pro-People Governance Model.
Prime Minister Modi emphasized the importance of focusing on emerging sectors to position India as an economic superpower. He highlighted that sectors like digital content creation and gaming, which were not well-developed a decade ago, are now rapidly evolving in India. These sectors are opening up new career paths and giving young people opportunities to explore and experiment. The government is actively supporting the curiosity and conviction of the youth by removing obstacles through reforms. He also mentioned the recent National Creators Award aimed at recognizing the efforts and creativity of content creators. PM Modi pointed out the government's efforts to promote sports as a viable career option with initiatives like Khelo India and the TOPS scheme which are helping athletes prepare for major competitions, from village-level tournaments to the Olympics. Furthermore, the National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality is already making an impact with gaming emerging as a promising career choice.
The Prime Minister highlighted the government's recent decision to launch the One Nation-One Subscription scheme, which has garnered global praise. This initiative provides access to international journals for India’s youth, researchers, and innovators, ensuring that no young person is deprived of valuable information. Under this scheme, the government is subscribing to prestigious journals, enabling widespread access to knowledge. PM Modi emphasized the benefit this will bring to participants in hackathons and the broader goal of empowering Indian youth to compete with the world's best minds. He reiterated that the government's mission aligns with the vision of the youth, ensuring they have all the necessary support and infrastructure to succeed.
Shri Modi reiterated his announcement of bringing one lakh youth in the country's politics who have no history of family members in politics, which he said was imperative for India’s future and added that different ways were being worked out in this direction. Shri Modi announced that "Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue" would be held in January 2025, where crores of youth from across the country will participate and give their ideas for a developed India. He added that youth and their ideas will be selected and a Young Leaders Dialogue would be organized in New Delhi with them on 11-12 January, on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary. Announcing that he would also participate in it along with eminent personalities from the country and abroad, Shri Modi urged all the youth connected with SIH to join "Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue". He added that this would give them another great opportunity to join Nation Building.
Shri Modi encouraged participants in the Smart India Hackathon to see the upcoming time as both an opportunity and a responsibility. He urged teams to not only focus on solving India's challenges but also work on global issues more effectively. PM Modi expressed his hope that by the next hackathon, there would be examples of solutions addressing global crises. He affirmed the nation’s belief and pride in the capabilities of its innovators and problem solvers, wishing them success and extending his gratitude.
Background
The 7th edition of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) began concurrently at 51 nodal centres nationwide on 11th December 2024. The Software Edition will run nonstop for 36 hours, while the Hardware Edition will continue from 11th to 15th December 2024. Like past editions, the student teams will work on either the problem statements given by Ministries or Departments or Industries or submit their ideas in the Student Innovation Category against any of the 17 themes linked to sectors of national importance. These sectors are - Healthcare, Supply chain and Logistics, Smart Technologies, Heritage and Culture, Sustainability, Education and Skill Development, Water, Agriculture and Food, Emerging Technologies, and Disaster Management.
Some of the interesting problem statements of this year's edition include ‘Enhancing Images of Darker Regions on the Moon’ presented by ISRO, ‘Developing a real-time Ganga Water Quality Monitoring system using AI, satellite data, IoT, and dynamic models’ presented by Ministry of Jal Shakti, and ‘Developing a Smart Yoga Mat integrated with AI’ presented by Ministry of AYUSH.
This year, more than 250 problem statements have been submitted by 54 Ministries, Departments, State Governments, PSUs, and Industries. A 150% increase has been recorded in internal hackathons at the institute level, growing from over 900 in SIH 2023 to around 2,247 in SIH 2024, making this the largest edition so far. More than 86,000 teams have participated in SIH 2024 at the institute level and around 49,000 student teams (each consisting of 6 students and 2 mentors) have been recommended by these institutes for the national level round.
आज दुनिया कह रही है कि भारत की ताकत, हमारी युवाशक्ति है, हमारा innovative youth है, हमारी tech power है: PM @narendramodi
