Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Sept 21 : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today met Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala and proposed Integrated Aroma Dairy Entrepreneurship for Jammu & Kashmir to augment the income of farmers.
Dr Jitendra Singh informed Rupala that Jammu & Kashmir has abundant stock of Animal Husbandry and Dairy resources, and suggested that the same can be effectively integrated with Aroma Mission which has already been launched in J&K by CSIR under the aegis of Union Ministry of Science & Technology. This will pave the way for integrated Aroma Dairy entrepreneurship, ensuring sustainable growth, increased income and fresh avenues of livelihood , he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Aroma Mission , also popularly referred as “Lavender or Purple Revolution”, has started from J&K and transformed the lives of farmers who are able to grow lavender, make lucrative profit and improve their lives. He said, the efforts of CSIR-lllM are laudable as they have introduced the crop native to Europe, in the districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Rajouri in J&K.
The Aroma Mission was launched by CSIR in line with PM Narendra Modi’s vision of improving farmers’ livelihood. Apart from providing planting material, distillation units are provided and farmers are trained in extraction and many of them have become entrepreneurs as lavender oil is quite sought after. Apart from Lavender, many high value Aromatic and Medicinal cash crops have been introduced by CSIR in J&K.It is now being expanded as Aroma Mission Phase II and also floriculture mission has been recently launched. This will fetch in the much needed transformation in lives of farmers and women
Referring to the clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for doubling the farmer’s income by 2022, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Jammu & Kashmir was progressively improving farmer’s income with support of allied sectors and institutes like IIIM Jammu. He said that the focus of agricultural and allied sectors, and researchers should be on productivity rather than production.
The Minister said that the immense potential of technology in improving the livelihood of people should be harnessed by all departments collaboratively. He urged the youth to actively seek the livelihood opportunities being created by the Government. He encouraged the youth to become agro-entrepreneurs that fetch greater incomes.
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