Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar addresses the Convocation ceremony of Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy, agricultural education
should become the focus of entrepreneurship- Jagdeep Dhankhar
The Vice President, Union Agriculture Minister Tomar, MoS Chaudhary present
medals
The Vice
President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar was the Chief Guest at the 61st Convocation
ceremony of the Post-Graduate School of Indian Agricultural Research Institute
(IARI) in New Delhi today. The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra
Singh Tomar Presided over the ceremony, while the Minister of State for
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Kailash Choudhary was the Special Guest on the
occasion. In his address, Dhankhar emphasized that agricultural education
should become the focus of research and innovation and entrepreneurship for the
progress of the country.
The Vice
President said that Agriculture is the backbone of the economy, the
contribution of farmers has been tremendous. He lauded the commitment of the
Agriculture sector, which has provided food security and made it possible to
ensure free meals to more than 800 million people, even as the world grappled
with the pandemic. He said the India we are seeing today is wonderful. The Vice
President underlined India's efforts to mark 2023 as the International Year of
Millets and its importance for the Agriculture sector across the world.
Referring to the increasing use of cutting-edge technology in agriculture
including drones, he said that technology is transforming the sector with the
changing times. Referring to the steps taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for
the upliftment of the Agriculture sector, Dhankhar said that more than Rs. 2.20
lakh crore has been transferred to over 11 crore farmers under the Pradhan
Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi initiative directly into their bank accounts without
any middlemen. Describing the Parliament as the temple of democracy, the Vice
President said that it is meant for dialogue, debate, discussion, deliberation,
which should not become a platform for disruption or unrest. He said that every
word spoken in Parliament should come after due consideration.
During the convocation ceremony, the Vice President Dhankhar,
Minister Tomar and MoS Choudhary gave away medals and prizes to meritorious
students. The Vice President also released 16 different varieties of cereals,
fruits and vegetables. On this occasion, Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, DARE
and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr AK Singh,
Vice Chancellor & Director, IARI, Dr Anupama Singh, Dean and Joint Director
(Education) along with other officers, students and guardians and farmers were
present. In the ceremony, 402 students received degrees, including foreign
students. Dr AK Singh delivered the welcome speech.