New Delhi: The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has said that it is imperative to develop hybrid seeds of improved variety for the areas of varied agricultural climate so as to sort out the problems emerging due to global climate change. Shri Radha Mohan Singh further said that it is also very necessary to work out the issues of bio and non-bio adverse effects along with improvement in productivity. Shri Singh stated it in a function organized for Plant Genome Saviour Awards at PUSA here today. Agriculture Minister extended his hearty congratulations to the five award winner groups for Genome Protection in the function organized on above said subjects. The names of the Plant Genome Savior Community Awards 2013-14 are as follows:
(1) Farming community of Village Sagam and Danwathpora, Dist-Anantnag, J & K,
(2) Chengalikodan Banana Growers Association, Erumapetty, Thrissur, Kerala
(3) Sagar Krishnanagar Swami Vivekananda Youth Cultural Society, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal,
(4) Khola / Canacona Chilli Cultivators Groups, Khola, Shirothi, South Goa
(5) Karen Welfare Association, Webi, Mayabunder, Middle Andaman, A& N Islands
Shri Singh congratulated 3 farmers selected for Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Rewards 2014 and another 11 farmers selected for Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Recognition 2014 from the various parts of the country. Shri Singh said that these farmers have contributed greatly to maintain resources concerned with plant breeding and as well as to conserve them. The Minister added that Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights Act (PPV&FRA) 2001 has been enforced to promote the new species of plants, for the preservation of plants as well as Rights of the farmers. Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights Authority has been constituted so as to implement this constitution in November, 2005.
Shri Singh said that the Government has declared a Intellectual Property Rights IPR policy to promote an adaptable system for motivating capacity building of intellectual framework in India in May, 2016. Shri Singh further said that PPV&FR Authority would be re-constituted so as to implement National IPR Policy regarding plant species.
Shri Radha Mohan Singh further added that the Authority will endeavour to improve the parameters relating to IP profile, management as well as utilization of IP for the plant species. Shri Singh said that the institutes related to Indian Council of Agricultural Research, State Agriculture Universities (SAU) and National Seed Association of India (NSAI) etc will work together. Agriculture Minister further added that Government of India has approved the proposal to open three new branches of the Authority. These offices will be opened in Palampur (Himachal Pradesh), Pune (Maharashtra) and Shivmogga (Karnataka).
Later on, Shri Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated Data Centre and Mobile App at IASRI in PUSA Complex. Shri Singh said that this Data Centre of ICAR will play an important role to promote Digital India Campaign in agriculture sector. The Minister said that Government has launched Digital India Campaign to empower the country with digital point of view. This campaign aims at providing electronic services to the people while reducing the requirements of paper. Shri Singh added that it has been initiated in July, 2015 to link the rural people with high paced internet network.
Shri Radha Mohan Singh briefed that Indian Council of Agricultural Research, was not equipped with the centralized facilities for providing email I/Ds specific domain related to ICAR, unified communication and web-hosting solution to its personnel. To work out solutions to these problems, ICAR has created a state-of-the-art Data Centre within its complex which has to provide unified communication, scientific/research/technological/educational/extension information to its employees through its websites and hosting of applications. This Data Centre fulfills global standards specifications to Data Centre tier-III while complying with the standards of Data Centre ISO 27001, ITIL and TIA 942 standards.
Shri Singh, while launching a mobile app, at this function, said that mobile app has become an integral part of agricultural sector and it is being utilized also for agricultural trading along with farming practices. Agriculture Minister further said that through KVK mobile app, the farmers will be benefitted with detailed knowhow generated in Krishi Vigyan Kendras. The farmers are supposed to select KVKs after they have got themselves registered in this app. Thereafter, the farmers will be capable enough to open all sorts of information viz., weather, price of agricultural commodities in the market and other intimations related to farming sector through KVK app. Through this app, the farmers will also be able to receive information about different agricultural programmes and schemes being run by the Government.
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