Page 51 - NIS English 1-15 September 24

International Conference of Agricultural Economists Nation

Ayurveda is a science of using our
food with medicinal effects. This
traditional knowledge system is a Farmers are

part of the social life of India.
being empowered

- Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Many efforts are being undertaken by the
age-old. Pointing to a strong system of agricultural central government to strengthen the
research and education in India, PM Modi said farmers. PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, under
“ICAR itself boasts of more than 100 research which money is transferred to the bank
institutes.” There are more than 500 colleges and accounts of 10 crore farmers with a single
over 700 Krishi Vigyan Kendras for agricultural click. A digital public infrastructure for
education in the country. digital crop surveys that gives real-time
The PM noted that agricultural produce changes information to farmers and enables data-
if one travels about a hundred kilometers in the based decision-making. This initiative will
benefit crores of farmers and improve their
country. Be it farming on the land, in the Himalayas, economic condition. Under the digitization of
in the desert, in water-scarce regions, or coastal land, farmers will be given a digital identity
regions, this diversity is crucial for global food number for their land and drones will be
security. There was a time when India's food promoted in farming. It has been decided to
security was a matter of concern for the world train 'drone didis' to operate drones. These
while today India is providing solutions for global steps will not only benefit the farmers of India
food and nutrition security. This is why PM Modi but will also strengthen global food security.
also believes that India's experience is valuable for
discussions on food system transformation and
the global south is sure to benefit from it. India’s been emphasized. In the last 10 years, about 1,900
vision for global welfare is various mantras put new climate-friendly varieties have been handed
forward by India on various fora including ‘One over to farmers. Black rice from Manipur, Assam,
Earth, One Family and One Future’, ‘Mission LiFE’, and Meghalaya is the preferred choice due to its
and ‘One Earth One Health’. India has a vision of medicinal properties.
not looking at the health of humans, plants, and Shri Anna, Millet has been presented as a solution,
animals in silos. as this superfood is suitable given its quality of
PM Modi said that agriculture is at the center 'minimum water and maximum production'. India's
of India's economic policies. 90 percent of India's will to share India's coarse grain basket with the
small farmers, who have very little land, are the world is the result of which the International Year of
biggest strength of India's food security. There is Millets was also celebrated. Soil Health Card, Digital
a similar situation in many developing countries of Agriculture Market i.e. e-NAM, Kisan Credit Card, and
Asia, for which India's model is suitable. Positive PM Crop Insurance Scheme have been expanded to
results can be seen in the country due to the large- connect agriculture with modern technology. From
scale promotion of chemical-free natural farming. traditional farmers to agri startups, natural farming
This is the reason why this year's budget has to farm stays, and farm-to-table, efforts are being
mentioned a large-scale focus on sustainable and undertaken for agriculture and allied sectors. In the
climate-friendly farming as well as developing an last 10 years, 90 lakh hectares of land have been
entire ecosystem to support the farmers of India. brought under micro irrigation. India is moving fast
The government's commitment to research and towards the target of 20 percent ethanol blending,
development related to climate-friendly crops has benefiting both agriculture and the environment. n

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