“The long run isn’t a linear extrapolation of the previous. Circumstances change, and new challenges come up. It’s due to this fact vital to establish the challenges of the rising future and begin working proper now… It’s evident that a number of stress factors have emerged in Punjab’s agriculture which should be addressed,” stated the nation’s former Prime Minister and legendary economist, Dr. Manmohan Singh, twelve years in the past, expressing his concern for the farmers of Punjab, a state that all the time held a particular place in his coronary heart.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, who handed away at AIIMS Delhi on Thursday on the age of 92, not often shied away from expressing his deep concern for the agrarian misery of Punjab and the plight of its farmers. He made the above remarks whereas attending the Golden Jubilee convocation of Punjab Agricultural College (PAU), Ludhiana, on December 8, 2012, within the presence of then Chief Minister, the late Parkash Singh Badal.
Name it his farsightedness or unmatched knowledge, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in his 2012 handle at PAU, had well-predicted the groundwater exploitation disaster that Punjab was dealing with and had really helpful the quick phasing out of rice cultivation from the state. He even predicted that within the coming years, two areas that would want particular focus in Punjab had been schooling and ability improvement for its youth to prosper. Thus, he emphasised the significance of the state specializing in sectors aside from agriculture.
Particular grant for PAU on Manmohan Singh’s intervention
Equally near his coronary heart was PAU, one of many oldest agricultural universities within the nation, whose scientists pioneered the Inexperienced Revolution and offered meals safety to the nation.
In 2006, the previous PM, whereas heading the Congress-led UPA-I authorities on the Centre, gave particular course to then Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram that PAU should be allotted a particular grant of Rs 100 crore for analysis and different functions, which was duly introduced within the Union price range that yr.
“P. Chidambaram saab instructed us that the particular grant for PAU was even doubled from Rs 50 crore to 100 crore on Manmohan Singh ji’s private intervention. That yr, PAU was the one college which was given Rs 100 crore. We had been all the time grateful to him for this gesture,” remembers Dr. Ok.S. Aulakh, then Vice-Chancellor of PAU.
Later, from the Rs 100 crore obtained from the Centre, the college constructed a brand new auditorium and named it after Dr. Manmohan Singh. “For the reason that auditorium was constructed from the particular grant he had given, we named it after him, not simply to thank him but in addition to make sure that college students proceed to get inspiration from his life journey and achievements as an academician and a par-excellent economist. We had named the constructing after him solely after taking his due permission,” says former PAU V-C Dr. Baldev Singh Dhillon.
Water sustainability, local weather change, diversification: Economist PM stated all of it
Throughout his handle on the PAU convocation in 2012, the previous PM spoke at size on a number of points plaguing Punjab’s agricultural disaster. From water sustainability to local weather change and the necessity for agro-processing, Dr. Manmohan Singh said that simply as PAU scientists had offered meals safety to the nation, in addition they wanted to gear as much as deal with the present agrarian disaster.
“The PAU has contributed enormously to the event of Indian agriculture, proper from the early years when the nation was in a meals deficit… It was PAU’s pioneering work, mixed with the receptivity and onerous work of the progressive farmers of Punjab, that made the unique Inexperienced Revolution doable and gave the nation meals safety,” he stated, crediting then Punjab CM Partap Singh Kairon for the college’s institution.
Nevertheless, he additionally reminded PAU that it was time to look forward to future challenges.
“Simply as a Golden Jubilee is an event to have a good time the previous, it must also be an event to look forward to the longer term. The PAU has performed a number one position in making Punjab’s agriculture a matter of pleasure for all the nation. It should now gear as much as assist Punjab’s agriculture meet the challenges of the longer term,” the previous PM stated.
“The sustainability of water use in agriculture has emerged as a serious downside in Punjab. Exploitation of groundwater far exceeds the speed of recharge, resulting in a gentle decline within the water desk. That is clearly not sustainable. Comparable issues exist in different elements of the nation, however they’re most extreme in Punjab. The problem is the right way to maximize farm earnings whereas adopting a extra sustainable technique for water use. This undoubtedly requires a change within the rice-wheat cropping sample. It’s, in fact, a worthwhile cropping cycle as a result of the price of overexploiting groundwater shouldn’t be a part of personal profitability calculations,” he stated.
“Punjab can not and mustn’t proceed overexploiting its groundwater to help rice cultivation. Diversification out of rice is due to this fact important. Fortuitously, a gradual phasing out is not going to have an effect on the general meals safety of the nation right this moment. Punjab’s agricultural technique should evolve a workable diversification plan that causes the least financial hardship to farmers,” stated Dr. Manmohan Singh.
On local weather change threatening agriculture, he stated: “Local weather change can have critical implications for our meals safety and the livelihood safety of our farmers, notably the small and marginal farmers. Better frequency of drought and poor precipitation considerably reduces agricultural manufacturing in un-irrigated areas by decreasing the world below crops and likewise reducing productiveness. Rising temperatures may even have detrimental results on agricultural productiveness, together with notably the productiveness of present forms of wheat.”
“Nevertheless, we should acknowledge that at the same time as Punjab leads in agriculture, it can not afford to neglect the event of the non-agricultural sector, notably the manufacturing sector. The youth of Punjab will more and more search for productive employment alternatives exterior agriculture. Two areas that want particular consideration are schooling and ability improvement. Punjab’s youth, if given correct schooling and expertise, would offer traders with a really productive and environment friendly workforce,” the previous PM stated, concluding his handle.
“Probably the most distinguished economist”: CM Badal had stated
Dr. Manmohan Singh, who held the very best levels in economics from Oxford and Cambridge, was additionally conferred an honorary doctorate by PAU, with the quotation describing him because the “architect of financial reforms within the nation.”
Slicing throughout political rivalry, Akali Dal patriarch after which CM Badal, in the course of the PAU convocation, instructed college students that they had been “the luckiest to obtain their levels within the presence of the PM, who’s the the luckiest to obtain their levels within the presence of the PM who’s essentially the most distinguished economist on this planet.”
“The PM all the time tries to resolve issues of Punjab and we’re indebted to him,” Badal had stated.
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