Prime Minister Modi condoles Uttarakhand accident victims

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News

HALDIA, 7 FEB: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, prayed for the victims stuck in the Uttarakhand disaster. He started his speech with mentioning the disaster of Uttarakhand and stated that he was constantly in touch with Uttarakhand CM, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the NDRF troops currently doing rescue operations.

 “Today, we are at one end of Maa Ganga, but Uttarakhand, where Maa Ganga originates, is facing disaster. Due to an avalanche, the river level rose and we are gradually getting all updates from Uttarakhand. I am in constant touch with Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Rawat, HM Amit Shah and officers of the NDRF. I am praying for the courageous people of Uttarakhand, Bengal is praying, the nation is praying,” said PM Modi.

He said that Centre has extended all support to the state troops for rescue operations. Currently, 150 labourers in the Tapovan power plant are feared to be dead after a glacier breached leading to flooding in Uttarakhand.

TMC government has committed many fouls, people ready to show them 'Ram Card' says Prime Minister

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News 

HALDIA, 7 FEB: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday tore into the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, saying it has committed many fouls and people are ready to show them 'Ram Card'.

Drawing a comparison between Bengal’s love for football and TMC, PM Modi said, “Bengal loves football and in that terminology, I want to say TMC has committed many fouls- Foul of corruption, foul on governance and foul on faith. In a play on the red card in football, PM said Bengal is soon going to show the 'Ram card' to Trinamul.”

He also said it has “criminalised politics, institutionalised corruption and politicised the administration and police”.

He compared the Mamata Banerjee government to a second version of the Left Front government in Bengal and said there has been a “rebirth of communism” under her rule. The indicator, he said, was that politics has been criminalized and administration has been politicized in the state.

The state's politics is the “biggest reason for its condition,” he said.

“Bengal wants to ask Trinamul -- those who fired on the people of Nandigram -- why is she taking the same people in her party,” the Prime Minister said at a political rally in Haldia -- considered the stronghold of Suvendu Adhikari, who joined the BJP in December.

Speaking at the rally, he said, “People who talk about ‘Maa, Maati, Maanush’ don’t have the courage to raise their voice for ‘Bharat Mata’. That’s because these people have criminalized politics, institutionalized corruption and politicized administration and police”.

“Mamata Didi gets angry if someone chants ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, but never loses cool if disloyal people speak against the country. There is conspiracy against yoga, India-made tea and other goods. But Mamata Didi never said anything. I want to assure that India will give answers to all those people who are conspiring against the country,” PM Modi said while addressing his first election rally ahead of the assembly polls in Haldia.

He also said that the people of Bengal expected ‘mamata’ (affection) from chief minister Mamata Banerjee but got ‘nirmamta’ (cruelty).

“Mamata didi promised parivartan (change) in West Bengal. Everyone trusted her with her promise, but in 10 years, all they received was nirmamta (cruelty). What they have is rebirth of the Left. Rebirth of criminals. Rebirth of attack on loktantra. She gets angry on 'bharat mata ki jai' slogan, but she won't get angry no matter what people are saying against country", he said. 

PM Modi further said, “Now the planning is being done on how to malign India’s image. They attack tea workers to malign their image, but have you heard anything on this from Didi? The country will answer these conspiracies with full strength”.

Accusing the state leaders of corruption, PM Modi said even in natural disasters like Cyclone Amphan, they are “looking for opportunities for corruption”. “The Centre gave free ration immediately. But the state failed to give it to the people,” he said.

The court finally had to take a stand on the corruption, he added.

“During Covid, lakhs of farmers here did not get any money, lakhs of farmers should have benefitted from the Kisan Samman project, but did not. The state refused to join the programme,” PM Modi said.

“The TMC tolabaz and syndicate are only for a few days...parivartan is inevitable this time in Bengal,” he said.

PM Modi said only a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government can free the state of this
mismanagement. He exhorted people to vote in a BJP government to experience “asol poriborton (real change)” - like the one being experienced in Tripura.

He said that in West Bengal, the TMC and its friends Left Front and Congress party are together behind the curtains, accusing them of match-fixing. “They meet and greet each other, devise a strategy together. In Kerala too, there’s a deal between the Left and Congress. In Bengal, the Left and TMC are together; their squabbling is a sham.”

While remembering the past glory of Bengal, PM Modi said, “I pay my respect to Bengal- the land that has given the world visionaries. The gas and road connectivity projects that will be inaugurated today will create new jobs. These projects will help open new doors for trade with our neighbours. Bengal has always been a priority for the Central government”.

PM Modi said, “I promise the farmers of West Bengal that BJP will form the government here and in the first cabinet meeting, a decision will be taken where we will pay you the remaining amount, at par with other Indian farmers, directly into your bank accounts. You will receive all benefits from the Central government.”

 

IIT Kharagpur & NIUA Collaborate to Build Accessible, Safe and Inclusive Indian Cities

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News 

KHARAGPUR, 3 FEB: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) for ‘Building Accessible Safe and Inclusive Indian Cities (BASIIC).

The collaboration is aimed towards developing a framework for universal city planning which would be more accessible and inclusive for various sections of the community with age-friendly disabled-friendly measures.

Director, Prof. Virendra K Tewari said, “India is a young country with a population growth rate of 1 per cent as of 2019. Such a growth figure along with the current status will create a dynamic need for housing and urban planning in India.”

According to Prof Tewari, “The Department of Architecture and Regional Planning at IIT Kharagpur is considered the best school in the country in the domain of architecture as per NIRF. We are proud to collaborate with NIUA in fulfilling its mission statement and achieving the comprehensive goals towards building sustainable living conditions for all.”

Through the Urban & Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation Guidelines, NIUA is dwelling upon new emerging aspects like regional development, inclusive planning, sustainable habitat, land use and transport integration at the planning stage, Service Level Benchmarks, disaster management concepts, and governance reforms.

But, there is a lack of consideration for universal design principles, it was noted.

Prof. Subrata Chattopadhyay from the Dept. of Architecture and Regional Planning at IIT Kharagpur, “After a thorough review of the various acts, guidelines and design standards in the related field and studying global best practices and international standard, IIT Kharagpur will propose a framework for universal cities to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, the elderly and parents with children, can participate in society and access built environment, transport, services and urban amenities including recreation and also livelihood and information.”

He also stressed the need for seamless accessibility and the complete travel chain for safe and independent movement for all within the city.

The proposed framework will be instrumental for sector-wise assessment of the existing cities in terms of safety, accessibility and inclusivity as well as planning of Greenfield cities.

The framework will include sections on Infrastructure, amenities and services including water, electricity, sanitation and solid waste; Outdoor environment; Livelihood; Urban mobility and public transport; IT connectivity, digitalization and citizen’s participation, and Tourism and recreation.

Prof. Haimanti Banerji from the Dept. of Architecture and Regional Planning at IIT Kharagpur, said, “Differently able persons and elderly often face discrimination and segregation due to the presence of sensory, attitudinal, cognitive, physical, and economic barriers. Through this framework, we would aim to crystallize future pathways for the planning of accessible, safe and inclusive cities in India, by laying emphasis on the process of audit, ground-level data collection, analysis, planning and implementation that would lead to sustainable and user-centric outcomes.”

The researchers are further working on several such developmental projects encompassing affordable housing, innovative construction technologies, dignified living and productive participation for the trans-generational population, the IIT said in a release.

West Bengal has the potential to start a second Green Revolution : Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News 

KHARAGPUR, 27 JAN: West Bengal has the potential to start a second Green Revolution. Prime Minister has set a target of doubling the income of farmers by 2022-23 and The Government of India has taken several steps for the overall and sustainable development of Indian agriculture, said Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

He on Monday flagged off the Agri-Food Techathon at IIT Kharagpur and also laid the foundation for Agri-Business Incubation Centre, which will incubate innovative ideas in agriculture and food technology domain for creating Agri-preneures.

Drawing reference of Prime Minister’s address at the programme of laying the foundation stone of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Barhi, Dr Pokhriyal quoted, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that West Bengal is the focal point for bringing agricultural reform in India.”

Addressing the first Agri-Food Techathon organized by NABARD and IIT Kharagpur, Dr Pokhriyal said, “I am happy that Agri-Food Tekathon is associated with Shastri's ideal of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'. Shastri started the Green Revolution to make India self-reliant. He believed in the powers of farmers to bring a revolution in India's agricultural ecosystem. He believed in the strong relationship between farmers - food grains and life.”

This Techathon has been organized to promote the participation of the youth of India in innovation and entrepreneurship in various sectors of the agri-food sector. This agri-food techthon will identify new ideas for startup incubation in the region and help them become successful businesses. The main objective of this event is to find new solutions to agricultural problems through technical talks by encouraging academics and encouraging young farmers, besides spreading awareness is also an important objective of this program.

NABARD Chairman Dr. GR Chintala, IIT Kharagpur Director Prof. VK Tiwari, Deputy Director Prof. SK Bhattacharya, Head of Agriculture and Food Engineering and Center for Rural Development and Innovative Sustainable Technology, Prof Rintu Banerjee, Rajendra Mishra of IIT Kharagpur Professor CS Kumar, Head of School of Engineering Entrepreneurship, Professor HN Mishra, Nodal Officer, Agriculture Business Incubation Center, IIT Kharagpur were also present.

Agri-food startups are bringing a big change in the Indian food and agriculture sector by removing the shortcomings of the agricultural value chain, providing efficient products, technology and services to both farmers and consumers. They are providing services such as ICT app, farm automation, weather forecasting services, drones, inputs retailing, equipment hiring, online vegetable marketing, smart poultry and dairy, protected farming and innovative food processing and packaging. In 2018, there were around 500 agri startups in India which is very encouraging as these startups have raised around $ 130 million investment in the last five years.

Dr. Nishank further said, “I am happy that the measures being adopted by IIT Kharagpur have been integrated with the National Education Policy. Our new education policy is focused on interdisciplinary education and will ensure what students want to learn. Likewise, this Agri-Food Tekathon will identify new concepts and new ideas for agri-food startup incubation and will also help in transforming these start-ups into successful business ventures. Also, according to our new education policy, vocational education will start in schools from sixth grade and will include internships. Increasing the importance of vocational education will greatly benefit the growth of agri-food startups.”

The two-months long national-level online technical fest at IIT Kharagpur will have participation from over 750 university/college students, entrepreneurs and rural youths from across the country in the age range of 20-25 years with diverse academic backgrounds. 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. G.R. Chintala, Chairman, NABARD, who was the Guest of Honor, said, “Keeping in mind the requirement of technological interventions in the agriculture sector, this techathon will create an ecosystem for the youth of our country to share the knowledge for improving the conventional farming practices for the benefit of our farmers. Agri-Food Techathon 2021 will provide a great boost to the young startups working on cost-efficient technologies for the agriculture sector.”

Highlighting the unique aspects of Agri-Food Techathon 2021 initiative, Prof. V.K. Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, said, “We are moving at a fast pace to achieve the target of 125 incubatees in the next five years through Agri-Business Incubation Centre (ABIC). In order to meet the food requirements of 135 crore people, we require innovation. We need to produce more out of small land. Our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has already said in 2015 that by 2022, the income of the farmer must be doubled.”

“We are also working on that aspect. The population involved in agriculture is shrinking due to their movement to construction, infrastructure development and other activities due to various reasons. There is a need for more and more mechanisation and innovation. Until and unless we use technology such as AI/ML, image processing, Embedded systems and IoT, it will not be possible to maximise the income of the farmer and maximise the yield out of the land. IIT Kharagpur has trained over 11,000 farmers in the last ten years on various kinds of irrigation water, drip irrigation and many other ideas from this Department,” Prof. Tewari said.

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Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to Flag-off Agri-Food Techathon at IIT-Kharagpur to promote Agri and Food Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to Flag-off Agri-Food Techathon at IIT-Kharagpur to promote Agri and Food Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News 

MIDNAPORE, 24 JAN: IIT Kharagpur in association with NABARD is organizing the first of its kind Agri-Food Techathon (AFT 2021), to promote the participation of India’s youth in innovation and entrepreneurship in different domains of the Agri-Food sector.

The event will be inaugurated by the Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on January 25, 2021. The foundation of the Agri-Business Incubation Centre will also be laid at the inaugural event, which will carry out the mandate to incubate innovative ideas in agriculture and food technology domain for creating Agri-preneures.

Agriculture is the largest employment vertical with a GDP share of 14%. Over the years, India has witnessed a substantial increase in yields, crop diversity due to mechanization and knowledge dissemination programmes. However, the steeping consumption due to population explosion has been a constant challenge demanding rapid progress in the agricultural sector.

Talking about the initiative Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur opined, “While India is moving at an accelerated pace towards automation and digitization, there is a crucial need to complement it with automation in the rural livelihood and farm sector and warrant uniform progress. To

achieve this goal we are reaching out to the talented youth of this country through the Agri-Food Techathon. This platform will enable them to exhibit and depict their creativity, problem-solving and prototyping-skills in Agriculture and Food Technology thus leading to indigenous product development, employment generation and fulfilment of our promise to Atmanirbhar Bharat.” The national-level online technical fest spanned over January - March 2021, will have participation from over 750 university/college students, entrepreneurs and rural youths from across the country in the age range of 20-25 years with diverse academic background.

Apart from workshops, mentorship and guest talks, AFT-2021 will host a competitive B-plan submission for the participants. Business and technology experts in areas covering farm mechanization, AIML, IoT in agriculture, precision farming, greenhouse farming, organic farming, agricultural biotechnology, soil technology and testing, food processing, packaging and storage, food supply chain management.

Renowned professional experts from countries premier institutions like IIT Kharagpur, IARI New Delhi, CIAE Bhopal and Founders / CEOs of different successful agri-food tech startups like Sickle Foundation, Sfarms India, Fasal, Nutrigreen, Organic Farming, Cropin, B2V, Keyhti, Khadyam, Crofarm, WAycool, Villa Mart, etc. are taking part in the Sensitization Workshop of the AFT-2021.

More than 30 teams with high potential will be selected for formal association with ABIC, IIT Kharagpur. They will be offered assistance in the form of Technology and Business Development Mentorship, R&D support, Laboratory / Workshop / Pilot Plant access and Funding Opportunities through potential Investors / Accelerators. Business and technology experts from key domains of Agriculture and Food Technology will be involved as panellists and mentors.

Union Education Minister

The event is being organized by the Agricultural & Food Engineering Department, Centre for Rural Development & Innovative Sustainable Technologies and Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship in association with NABARD.

Prof. H N Mishra, Professor-in-Charge of the Agri Business Incubation Centre (ABIC), remarked, “At our Centre, we will facilitate the incubated startups to develop low-cost technologies and transfer them for sustainable development of rural communities. We shall further conduct hands-on training, workshops, and seminars for capacity building of farmers and unemployed rural youth.”

Special emphasis will be given through action-oriented research to promote climate-resilient agriculture in vulnerable districts, agricultural value chains, promote farmers’ collectives, value addition, market-linkage, and risk management; also offering expert advisory services, policy advocacy including building up of human capital in rural areas.