NEW DELHI, March 28 : Union Ministers Dr Jitendra Singh and Giriraj Singh today reviewed preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming Jammu visit on 24th April to commemorate the nationwide “Panchayati Raj Diwas”.
The two Ministers convened a joint meeting of Department of Rural Development and Department of Panchayati Raj with six science Departments, namely Science & Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Biotechnology, Space/ISRO, Atomic Energy and Earth Sciences at Prithvi Bhawan, here. The aim of the meeting was to plan showcasing of the latest technology and innovations which are beneficial and applicable for rural development, Panchayat functioning and farming. Various aspects and possibilities of integration of Science & Technology with the themes of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj were discussed.
During the meeting, Dr. Jitendra Singh proposed that instead of having conventional stalls at the event, we should showcase latest technology which can add value to farmers’ income and enable science-based value addition to various Panchayati Raj features.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh said that the event will be followed by many such science & technology innovations in areas related to Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
Panchayat by the name Palli in district Jammu has been selected for the Panchayati Raj Diwas function this year and an exhibition showcasing latest innovations will be put up enabling farmers, Sarpanchs, Panchs and village heads to improve their income and their produce. Amongst important innovations that are planned to be showcased are geospatial technology for rural mapping and farmers, apps usable by farmers for weather forecast for next five days, lavender cultivation famously known as purple revolution, biotechnology innovation to increase the produce of apple in the same area of land to increase farmer’s income, drone application for irrigation and pesticide or nutrient spray, waste treatment, increasing shelf life of fruits and vegetables through atomic radiation etc.
It was decided that after two of more such meetings, a bigger meeting will be held to finalise details of the event to be held on 24th April, 2022. Even though, the event will be physically held at Jammu, lakhs of Gram Panchayats from across the country will be able to connect and watch the event, virtually.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary Rural Development, Sunil Kumar, Secretary Panchayati Raj, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Secretary, DST, Dr. Shekher C Mande, DG, CSIR, Dr. Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary, D/o Biotechnology, Dr. M Ravichandran, Secretary Earth Sciences, S Somnath Secretary Space and Mandeep Kaur, Secretary Rural department and Panchayati Raj, Government of Jammu & Kashmir.
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