Agricultural Education Should Be the Epicenter of Research & Entrepreneurship: Says VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

The 61^st Convocation of the Post-Graduate School of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) was held, with Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice President of India, serving as the Chief Guest.

The event was presided over by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, was the special guest.

In his speech, Dhankhar highlighted that agricultural education should become the center of research and innovation and entrepreneurship for the prosperity of the country.

According to the vice president, agriculture is the foundation of the economy, and farmers have made a significant contribution. He praised the agriculture industry's dedication to ensuring food security and enabling the provision of free meals to more than 800 million people even as the globe struggled to contain the virus. He praised present-day India, calling it magnificent.

The Vice President emphasized India's initiatives to designate 2023 as the International Year of Millets and its significance for the global agriculture industry. He mentioned how modern technology, such as drones, is being used in agriculture more frequently and how this is affecting the industry.

According to Dhankhar, over 11 crore farmers have received payments totaling more than Rs. 2.20 lakh crore through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi initiative directly into their bank accounts without the use of middlemen, referring to the actions taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve the agriculture sector.

The Vice President referred to the Parliament as the "temple of democracy," adding that it should not be used as a venue for disturbance or disruption but rather for discourse, debate, discussion, and consideration. He added that every word said in Parliament should come after proper deliberation.

Vice President Dhankhar, together with Tomar and Choudhary, awarded medals and awards to deserving students during the convocation event. The Vice President also introduced 16 new types of grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, DARE, and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr. A.K. Singh, Vice Chancellor & Director, IARI, Dr. Anupama Singh, Dean and Joint Director (Education), other officers, students, and guardians, and farmers were present on this occasion. 402 individuals, including international students, got degrees during the event. The welcoming remarks were made by Dr. A.K. Singh.