Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, virtually inaugurated the “Virtual Classroom” & “Agri-Diksha Web Education Channel”. The Union Minister also launched the “Exploration Centre & Drone Remote Sensing Laboratory” and “Manual on Drone Remote Sensing” during the occasion. Tomar praised the hard work of all the scientists of the Council. The Union Minister highlighted the quality research and advanced agricultural education that can make agriculture a medium of employment.
Tomar applauded the responsible efforts by the academicians and scientists of the Pusa Institute along with Krishi Vigyan Kendra, State Agricultural Universities and Education Division of the Council. He stressed the pivotal role of various digital platforms to effectively implement the various Central Government Schemes at the ground level. The Union Minister stated that digital media help connect with a wide range of people at a given time. He also said that the two programs would be a milestone in uplifting the livelihood standards of the Agri-students and farmers to a large extent.
Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, said that the new technological venture by the Council in the arena of agricultural researches and education is incredible. The Minister regarded the conduct of virtual meets as a perfect way to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Rupala also urged that besides using the ICAR Apps for research purposes, the same should also enhance livelihood.
Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR), regarded the Digital India initiative as a revolution towards agricultural education and quality research. Mentioning the features of the new Virtual Classroom & Agri-Diksha Web Education Channel and the Drone Remote Sensing Laboratory, the DG emphasized that the initiatives will prove helpful in revolutionizing the quality research, agricultural education, and farmers’ lives.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary (DARE) & Secretary (ICAR), highlighted the features and activities of the NAHEP and the New Education Policy. He also underlined the positive effects of the scheme on the students.
Outlining the Krishi-Megh Scheme of the National Agricultural Higher Education Project, Dr. R.C. Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), ICAR, apprised the dignitaries about the various features of the new Virtual Classroom & Agri-Diksha Web Education Channel. He stated the facilities would provide under the Krishi-Megh Platform only. The DDG emphasized that the scheme will be beneficial for the students.
Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh, Director, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, accentuated the establishment of Exploration Centre under the World Bank-funded NAHEP to make the availability of advanced technologies, namely – biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, big data, etc., under one roof.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Director, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, proposed the vote of thanks.