Union Agriculture Minister visits National Mithun Research Center, ICAR Institute and Farm in Nagaland

Central Government working on 'Vocal for Local' in AatmaNirbhar Bharat campaign - Shri Tomar
 

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar visited the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR’s National Research Center on Mithun and a pineapple farm on the first day of his visit to Nagaland.

Why is it in news?

Shri Tomar said that the Government of India is continuously working on the theme of 'Vocal for Local' in the AatmaNirbhar Bharat campaign. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi took the initiative for this, special emphasis was given on it and it has been taken on Mission Mode for the economic development of the country,” he said.

Highlights

·       Shri Tomar said that the National Research Center on Mithun is a unique biological resource of Northeast India and it is everyone's responsibility to preserve it.

·       “Earlier mithun was reared in free-range system, but now as agriculture is increasing, forest area is decreasing, so farmers should adopt alternate practices for mithun rearing under semi-intensive system developed by the ICAR-NRC,” he said.

·       Shri Tomar appreciated the success of the institute in developing technologies that have benefitted the Mithun farmers in their economic uplift, as well as the efforts of the Center to improve the standard of living of farmers by generating interest and increasing their incomes. He also called for further research on the use of Mithun (a breed of cow) for maximum benefit of the farmers. Shri Tomar urged the institute to conduct research to find out the nutritional and therapeutic properties of milk and develop a business model and said that the fertilizer potential of Mithun dung and urine should be explored as an alternative model for natural farming. Shri Tomar also visited the Mithun farm and exhibition stalls showcasing various technologies and products developed by the Centre. He discussed the technologies developed by the Centre, such as feed blocks, mineral block dispensers and region-specific mineral mixtures. Shri Tomar also planted a sapling on the occasion. Delivering the welcome address, NRC Director Dr. M.H. Khan highlighted the major achievements of the Institute during the last 33 years.

·       Shri Tomar also visited the Nagaland Center of ICAR, which was established in the year 1975. The center is carrying out various activities for Nagaland by promoting research, extension and human resource development activities in agriculture and allied sectors. The dissemination of the developed technologies is facilitated by the Central Government’s strong network of 5 Krishi Vigyan Kendras at Dimapur, Peren, Wokha, Kiphire and Longleng districts. The Central Government plays a major role in enhancing tribal livelihoods through various schemes, research and extension activities. This ICAR Center has developed 5 location specific integrated farming system models for different agro-climatic conditions for small and medium farmers of Nagaland, while the dual purpose breeds – Vanraj and Srinidhi birds have been promoted among more than 5,000 tribal farmers. This center has developed and disseminated the technique of artificial insemination in pigs, which is very popular among the tribal farmers of Nagaland. Thousands of tribal farmers benefit from the KVKs under the Central Government. Appreciating the efforts of the ICAR Center, the Union Minister asked them to work with dynamism.

·       Shri Tomar later visited a pineapple field in Volvam village and interacted with the members of the Farmers' Producer Organization (FPO). On this occasion, Agriculture Minister of Nagaland, Shri G. Kaito, Central Horticulture Commissioner Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Nagaland Adviser on Horticulture and Border Affairs, Shri Mathung Yanthan, Vice Chancellor of Central Agricultural University, Dr. Anupam Mishra, Director of ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Region, Dr. V.K. Mishra along with other officials, scientists and farmers were present.

Meeting of Prime Minister with President of Argentina on the sidelines of G-7 Summit

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met President of Argentina, H.E. Mr. Alberto Fernandez, in Munich on the sidelines of G7 Summit on 26 June 2022.

Why is it in news?
This was the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders. They reviewed progress in implementing the bilateral Strategic Partnership established in 2019.

Highlights

Discussions took place on various issues including trade and investment; South-South cooperation, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector; climate action, renewable energy, nuclear medicine, electric mobility, defence cooperation, agriculture and food security, traditional medicine, cultural cooperation, as well as coordination in international bodies. Both sides agreed to enhance their bilateral engagement in these sectors.

One Health Pilot to be launched in Bengaluru tomorrow

Ministry of FAHD is implementing the One-Health Framework undertaking project in Karnataka and Uttarakhand

Why is it in news?

Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal husbandry and Dairying, Government of India has taken an initiative to bring stakeholders from animal, human and environment health on a common platform to address the challenges through One-Health approach. DAHD in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as implementation partner is implementing the One-Health Framework undertaking project in the states of Karnataka and Uttarakhand.

Highlights

·       Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) will launch One Health Pilot in Karnataka at Bengaluru tomorrow. This Pilot project in Karnataka would be launched by Shri Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in presence of other key dignitaries and stakeholders from Centre and state level across livestock, human, wildlife, and environment sectors.

·       DAHD would develop a national One Health roadmap based on the learnings of this initiative which in turn would help to prevent the future zoonotic disease outbreaks, equipped with better response mechanism and management while incorporating global best practices. Capacity building plan for Karnataka and One Health brochure (Kannada) will be unveiled during the event.

NITI Aayog Launches Report on India's Gig and Platform Economy

NITI Aayog today launched a report titled ‘India's Booming Gig and Platform Economy’. The report was released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery, CEO Amitabh Kant and Special Secretary Dr. K Rajeswara Rao.  

Why is it in news?

The report is a first-of-its-kind study that presents comprehensive perspectives and recommendations on the gig–platform economy in India. The report provides a scientific methodological approach to estimate the current size and job-generation potential of the sector. It highlights the opportunities and challenges of this emerging sector and presents global best practices on initiatives for social security and delineates strategies for skill development and job creation for different categories of workers in the sector.

Highlights

·       Speaking on the occasion, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery said, “This report will become a valuable knowledge resource in understanding the potential of the sector and drive further research and analysis on gig and platform work.”

·       CEO Amitabh Kant highlighted the job creation potential of this sector given rising urbanization, widespread access to internet, digital technologies and smartphones in India. He said, “The recommendations in this report will serve as a crucial resource for ministries, state governments, training providers, platform companies and other stakeholders to work in collaboration for promoting growth and employment opportunities in this sector.”

·       Special Secretary Dr. K Rajeswara Rao presented the key findings and recommendations of the report. The report estimates that in 2020–21, 77 lakh (7.7 million) workers were engaged in the gig economy. They constituted 2.6% of the non-agricultural workforce or 1.5% of the total workforce in India. The gig workforce is expected to expand to 2.35 crore (23.5 million) workers by 2029–30. Gig workers are expected to form 6.7% of the non-agricultural workforce or 4.1% of the total livelihood in India by 2029–30. At present, about 47% of the gig work is in medium skilled jobs, about 22% in high skilled, and about 31% in low skilled jobs. Trend shows the concentration of workers in medium skills is gradually declining and that of the low skilled and high skilled is increasing.

·       To harness the potential of the gig-platform sector, the report recommends accelerating access to finance through products specifically designed for platform workers, linking self-employed individuals engaged in the business of selling regional and rural cuisine, street food, etc., with platforms to enable them to sell their produce to wider markets in towns and cities. The report puts forth suggestions for platform-led transformational and outcome-based skilling, enhancing social inclusion through gender sensitization and accessibility awareness programmmes for workers and their families and extending social security measures in partnership mode as envisaged in the Code on Social Security 2020. Other recommendations include undertaking a separate enumeration exercise to estimate the size of the gig and platform workforce and collecting information during official enumerations ( Periodic Labour Force Survey) to identify gig workers.