PM Modi renames Pravara Rural Education Society to ‘Loknete Dr Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Pravara Rural Education Society’
Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Ji's work for the progress of poor, efforts towards education and success of cooperative in Maharashtra will inspire generations to come: PM
Balasaheb Vikhe Patil always tried to work for the betterment of the society: PM Modi

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released the autobiography of Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil titled ‘Deh Vechwa Karani’ today through video conferencing. He renamed Pravara Rural Education Society as ‘Loknete Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Pravara Rural Education Society’.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said one will find stories of Vikhe Patil’s life in every region of Maharashtra. He said Balasaheb Vikhe Patil followed the footsteps of Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil and dedicated himself to the development of Maharashtra. He added easing the lives of the villagers, the poor, the farmers and reducing their sufferings have been the core of Vikhe Patil's life.

The Prime Minister said Vikhe Patil ji always worked for the betterment of society and always stressed on making politics a medium for bringing meaningful changes in the society, and for solving the problems of the poor and the villages. He said this approach of Balasaheb Vikhe Patil set him apart from the others. He said the autobiography of Balasaheb Vikhe Patil is very important for all of us, as his efforts & contribution for the development of the village, for the poor, for their education, for the success of cooperatives in Maharashtra will inspire generations to come.

The Prime Minister mentioned that Dr Balasaheb Vikhe Patil understood the pain and sufferings of the poor, of the farmers. So he brought the farmers together, connected them with the cooperatives. The Prime Minister said, as a minister in Atal ji's government, he encouraged cooperatives in many areas of the country including Maharashtra.

The Prime Minister said when rural education was not discussed much in the country, Dr Balasaheb Vikhe Patil worked to empower the youth in the villages through the Pravara Rural Education Society. Through this society he worked for the education and skill development of the youth in the village.

The Prime Minister said Vikhe Patil ji understood the importance of education in farming in the village. Today opportunities are being created to lead farmers towards entrepreneurship and make them entrepreneurs.

The Prime Minister said after independence when the country did not have enough food to feed, the priority of the government was how to increase the productivity of the crop. But in this concern for productivity, the focus was not given towards profitability of the farmer. He said the country is now emphasizing on increasing the income of the farmer, and has made constant efforts in this direction, such as the decision to increase MSP, neem coating of urea and better crop insurance. He added due to initiatives like PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, farmers now do not have to depend on others for small expenses. Moreover unprecedented work has been done on augmenting infrastructure such as cold chains, mega food parks and agro-processing infrastructure.

Referring to Balasaheb Vikhe Patil’s emphasis on the need to preserve the traditional knowledge of farming, wherein farming was done according to the natural conditions, the PM said we must preserve that knowledge and must also combine new and old methods in agriculture. In this context He cited the example of sugarcane crop, where both new and old ways of farming are used. He said now industries are being set up to extract sugar as well as ethanol from sugarcane.

The Prime Minister said that Dr. Bala Saheb Vikhe Patil always endeavoured to solve the problems in the villages of Maharashtra like the problem of drinking and irrigation water. He added that under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, work was done rapidly to complete 26 projects in Maharashtra, which were stuck for several years. Out of these, 9 projects have already been completed. With the completion of these projects, about 5 lakh hectares of land will get irrigation facilities, he added.

He said similarly in July 2018, work started on 90 more major and minor irrigation projects in Maharashtra. When these projects are completed in the next 2-3 years, about 4 lakh hectares of land will be connected with irrigation facilities. He said Atal groundwater scheme is being implemented in the 13 districts in Maharashtra where the groundwater level is very low.

The Prime Minister said under the Jal Jeevan mission, the work on providing piped drinking water to every family in the villages in Maharashtra is also going on at a rapid pace. Over 19 lakh families of Maharashtra have been provided with piped drinking water facilities during the last year. Out of this, over 13 lakh poor families got this facility during the corona pandemic.

He said the Mudra scheme has enhanced the avenues of self-employment in the village. Over 7 crore women belonging to the Self Help Group in the country have been given a loan of more than 3 lakh crore rupees. He added that farmers, fishermen have been provided with the facility of Kisan Credit Cards to get easy access to loans from banks. Nearly two and a half crore small farmer families who were earlier deprived of Kisan Credit Card now have this facility.

The Prime Minister said the boost to self confidence in the poors, in those residing in the villages will strengthen the resolve for self reliance. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil also wanted to instill this belief of self-reliance in villages.

 

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Text Of PM’s address at SEMICON India 2024 event in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
September 11, 2024
“India’s semiconductor sector is on the brink of a revolution, with breakthrough advancements set to transform the industry”
“Today's India inspires confidence in the world… When the chips are down, you can bet on India”
“India's semiconductor industry is equipped with special diodes where energy flows in both directions”
“India holds a three-dimensional power namely the present reformist government, the country’s growing manufacturing base and the nation’s aspirational market which is aware of the technological trends”
“This small chip is doing big things to ensure last-mile delivery in India”
“Our dream is that every device in the world will have an Indian-made chip”
“India is set to play a major role in driving the global semiconductor industry”
“Our goal is that 100% of electronic manufacturing should happen in India”
“Whether it is mobile manufacturing, electronics, or semiconductors, our focus is clear—we want to build a world that doesn’t stop or pause in times of crisis but keeps moving forward”

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath ji, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Jitin Prasada, all the giants associated with the global semiconductor industry, all the partners from the education, research, and innovation world, other distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen! Namaskar to all!

I extend a special welcome to all the associates of SEMI. Bharat is the eighth country in the world to host this grand event related to the global semiconductor industry. And I can say that this is the right time to be in India. You are at the right time, at the right place. In the 21st-century Bharat, the chips are never down! And it’s not just that, today’s Bharat assures the world — When the chips are down, you can bet on India!

Friends,

Your association with the semiconductor world inevitably involves diodes. And as you know, energy flows in only one direction in a diode. But special diodes are used in Bharat’s semiconductor industry. Here our energy flows in both directions. You might wonder how? And this is very interesting, you invest and create value. Meanwhile, the government provides you with stable policies and ease of doing business. Your semiconductor industry is linked with ‘Integrated Circuits’. Bharat also provides you with an ‘integrated ecosystem’. You are well aware of the immense talent of Bharat’s designers. Bharat contributes 20 percent of the talent in the world of designing, and it is continually expanding. We are preparing a semiconductor workforce of 85,000 technicians, engineers, and R&D experts. Bharat’s focus is on making its students and professionals ready for the semiconductor industry. Just yesterday, the first meeting of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation was held. This foundation will provide a new direction and new energy to Bharat’s research ecosystem. Additionally, Bharat has also created a special research fund of one trillion rupees.

Friends,

Such initiatives will greatly expand the scope of innovations in the semiconductor and science sectors. We are also focusing heavily on semiconductor-related infrastructure. Moreover, you have a three dimensional power —first, Bharat’s current reformist government, second, the growing manufacturing base in Bharat, and third Bharat’s aspirational market. A market that understands the taste of technology. For you, the Three-D Power semiconductor industry base is something that is hard to find elsewhere.

Friends,

Bharat’s aspirational and tech-oriented society is very unique. For Bharat, a chip is not just a technology. For us, it is a means to fulfil millions of aspirations. Today, Bharat is a major consumer of chips. We have built the world’s best digital public infrastructure on this chip. This small chip is playing a significant role in ensuring last-mile delivery in Bharat. When even the strongest banking systems in the world faltered during the Corona pandemic, banks in Bharat continued to operate uninterrupted. Whether it is Bharat’s UPI, RuPay card, Digi Locker, or Digi Yatra, various digital platforms have become part of everyday life for the people of Bharat. Today, Bharat is increasing manufacturing in every sector to become self-reliant. Today, Bharat is undergoing a significant green transition. The demand for data centres in Bharat is continuously rising. This means that Bharat is going to play a major role in driving the global semiconductor industry.

Friends,

There has been an old saying — ‘Let the chips fall where they may’. Meaning, let things happen as they will. Today’s young and aspirational Bharat does not follow this attitude. Bharat’s mantra today is —‘Increasing the number of chips produced in India’. And that’s why we have taken many steps to advance semiconductor manufacturing. The Indian government is providing 50 percent support for setting up semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Bharat. State governments are also providing additional support in this regard. Due to these policies, more than 1.5 trillion rupees of investments have already been made in Bharat in this sector in a short time. And today, many projects are in the pipeline. The Semicon India Program is also an excellent initiative. Under this program, financial support is being provided for front-end fabs, display fabs, semiconductor packaging, compound semiconductors, sensors, and display manufacturing. In other words, work is being done with a 360-degree approach in Bharat. Our government is advancing the entire semiconductor supply chain ecosystem in Bharat. I mentioned from the Red Fort this year that our dream is for every device in the world to have an Indian-made chip. Bharat will do whatever is necessary to become a semiconductor powerhouse.

Friends,

We recently announced the Critical Mineral Mission for domestic production and overseas acquisition of critical minerals. Work is underway on customs duty exemptions for critical minerals, mining block auctions, and more. Additionally, we are working on setting up a semiconductor research centre at the Indian Institute of Space Sciences. We are partnering with IITs so that our engineers not only develop high-tech chips for today but also research next-gen chips. We are also advancing international collaborations. You may have heard of oil diplomacy; today’s era is that of silicon diplomacy. This year, Bharat was elected Vice Chair of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework's Supply Chain Council. We are also a significant partner in the QUAD Semiconductor Supply Chain Initiative and have recently signed agreements with several countries including Japan and Singapore. Bharat is also continuously increasing its cooperation with the United States in this sector.

Friends,

You are all familiar with Bharat’s semiconductor mission. Some people question why Bharat is focusing on this. Such individuals should study our Digital India Mission. The goal of the Digital India Mission was to provide the country with transparent, effective, and leakage-free governance. Today, we are experiencing its multiplier effect. We needed affordable mobile handsets and data for the success of Digital India. Accordingly, we implemented necessary reforms and built essential infrastructure. We were among the major importers of mobile phones a decade ago. Today, we are the world’s second-largest producer and exporter. A recent report shows that Bharat is now the second-largest market for 5G handsets. Just two years ago, we started the 5G rollout. Look at where we have reached today. Today, Bharat’s electronics sector has grown to over 150 billion dollars. And our goal is even bigger. We want to grow our electronics sector to 500 billion dollars by the end of this decade. This will create about 6 million jobs for the youth of Bharat. Bharat’s semiconductor sector will also benefit greatly from this. Our goal is for 100 percent of electronic manufacturing to be done in Bharat. This means Bharat will not only make semiconductor chips but also their finished goods.

Friends,

Bharat’s semiconductor ecosystem provides solutions not only to domestic challenges but also to global ones. You might have heard a metaphor related to designing. This metaphor is — ‘single point of failure’. Designing students are taught to avoid this flaw. The aim is to ensure that the system does not depend on just one component. This lesson is not limited to designing alone. It applies equally to our lives, especially in the context of supply chains. Be it COVID or wars, no industry has been spared from supply chain disruptions in the recent past. Hence, resilience in supply chains is crucial. Therefore, I am pleased that Bharat is a significant part of the mission to create resilience in various sectors. And we must remember one more thing. When democratic values are coupled with technology, the positive energy of technology becomes stronger. Conversely, when democratic values are removed from technology, it can quickly become harmful. Therefore, whether it is mobile manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, or semiconductors, our focus is clear. We want to create a world that continues to operate without stopping, even in times of crisis. With this confidence that you will strengthen Bharat’s efforts in this regard, I wish you all the very best. Thank you very much!