Tag: promote

Don’t promote use of electronic cigarettes, I&B Ministry tells media

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New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday highlighted the violation of provisions of promoting electronic cigarettes during a business summit here and asked the media to ensure that it does not happen again.
In a notice to all media organisations, including print, electronic and digital, the Ministry said: “It has been brought to the notice by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that in a recently organised Business Summit in New Delhi by a prominent media house, the forum was apparently used to promote electronic cigarettes.”
“Such an action was in violation of Section 4 of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019 which prohibits advertisements that directly or indirectly promote the use of electronic cigarettes,” it said.

It said that the print, electronic, and digital media entities are “accordingly advised to ensure that the aforementioned statute is not contravened either by way of advertisement or any promotion or other campaigns etc”.
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#Dont #promote #electronic #cigarettes #Ministry #tells #media
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 9, 2023
SL President urged experts to promote AI taking India, Singapore as models

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Colombo: Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday urged IT experts in the island nation to promote Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, taking India and Sri Lanka as models.
He directed formation of a presidential task force comprising AI experts and prepare a concept paper to promote AI usage as done in the two Asian nations.
“When it comes to artificial intelligence, we should consider Singapore and India as role models. It is true that east Asia…. South Korea, Japan, and China are making progress in artificial intelligence, but no country in West Asia has reached that stage yet,” Wickremesinghe said.

The Sri Lankan President said the country is aiming to create a digital economy and to meet the demands of the digital age, aiming to produce 10,000 engineers annually instead of present number 2, 500. He also highlighted the potential of AI in various fields, including agriculture, education, health, fisheries, and industry.
“We have identified the modernisation of agriculture and fisheries, tourism, and improvement of supply centres as urgent areas for development in our economic reforms. Additionally, we have placed a greater focus on the technology industry.”
The President noted that the current annual contribution to Sri Lanka’s gross national income through computer and information technology is around $1.9 billion, with no known amount from AI technology. He instructed officials to develop a system to track AI contributions and stressed the importance of taking prompt action to increase AI’s contribution to the gross domestic product in the coming years.
He invited the private sector to join in the effort and said that the government plans to allocate Rs one billion for AI technology next year.

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#President #urged #experts #promote #India #Singapore #models
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 1, 2023
G 20 Event Has Potential To Promote JK Tourism On Next Level: Secy Tourism

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SRINAGAR: Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah on Friday said that in the run-up to the G-20 event, slated to be held in the last week of May, massive participation of the general public has been witnessed in Jammu & Kashmir and that the young minds are being given an of how things operate on a global platform through the participatory exercises.
Shah spoke to the reporters on the sidelines of the model G20 summit, which was organized by the Tourism department at SKICC, Srinagar.
Shah said that a very important event is going to be held in Kashmir in the last week of May and as part of a participatory exercise where students from various colleges and schools and especially universities are being involved, a model G20 summit was organized to give these young minds a taste of how things operate on a global platform.
“In the run-up to the G-20 event, there is massive participation that we have seen from the people of Jammu & Kashmir, the government of J&K is organizing different events in the run-up to the main event to give a sense of public participation for the massive event for us on the international scale and has a potential to promote J&K tourism on the next level,” he said.
We are also making sure that while we are preparing for the main event, we encourage a lot of public participation to give a sense of involvement to the general public, especially the young bright minds, he said.
“Majority of the GDP comes from tourism as it is the backbone of our economy, so therefore, we have to project, promote and manage tourism in J&K in the right perspective so that it is taken to the next level on a local stand,” he added.
He added that J&K was always the prime destination for film tourism where the movies were being shot. “Now, I am happy to inform you that in the last year, over 200 movies have been shot in J&K. At present, the big film stars are coming in and today also we have a very big film crew in the town and there are queries for the future as well. The department has come up with a very strong facilitator ecosystem concerning film tourism,” he said.
“We are trying to promote new tourism destinations. For this calendar year, we have planned 300 new destinations while some of them are already up and there are 75 offbeat destinations among them. The government as well as the tourism department is trying to project other destinations where fewer tourists are visiting,” he said, adding that 75 cultural heritage and adventurous destinations, and religious destinations have been shortlisted. “We are taking a holistic view in this regard,” he said. (KNO)

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#Event #Potential #Promote #Tourism #Level #Secy #Tourism
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 29, 2023
School Edu Deptt to promote happiness zone in schools for joyful learning, cordial pupil-teacher relation

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Srinagar, Mar 18: School Education Department has decided to promote happiness zones in government-run-schools for joyful learning in order to make a cordial pupil-teacher relation.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Director of School Education Jammu (DSEJ) Ravi Shankar Sharma has said, “Happiness zones need to be promoted in schools for joyful learning in order to make a cordial pupil-teacher relation.”
Sharma said this in the backdrop of the proposed activities for the mega student enrolment drive for academic year 2023-24.
“It is imperative to start the enrolment drive and campaign for the session 2023-24 in all the government schools of the Jammu division by the active participation of the Teachers and School Heads including all functionaries of the School Education Department at Divisional level,” Sharma said.
He also said that the new session is about to begin. “Therefore DSEJ is announcing a mega enrolment campaign starting from March-20-2023 without affecting the school work.”
Stating the activities that are proposed for the campaign, Sharma said, “All schools having primary sections shall also start enrolling students in pre-primary classes.”
“Existing CAL centres, ICT labs and Atal Tinkering labs are required to be put in use for e-learning,” the director ordered.
He also ordered that the face-lifting of schools shall also be done for their attractive outlook.

Sharma said, “List of the meritorious students needs to be displayed at suitable places in the school premises for the encouragement of students.”
He also said that the public should be made aware about the availability of well qualified staff.
The director also ordered that a interactive sessions with the school alumni shall be done for boosting the morale of the students.
“AII JDs and Chief Education Officers including. Principal DIETs. HODs of DIETs. Deputy CEOs, DEPOs, DIET faculty Zonal Education officers, and Zonal Education Planning officers shall visit at least one or more habitations as a part of the door-to-door campaign in order to inspire field functionaries,” Sharma said.
The director also said, “Door to Door Campaigning by HOls and Teachers, rallies by Children, Parent motivation camps involving SMC/VEC & other Community leaders, PRIs and Village elders.”—(KNO)
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#School #Deptt #promote #happiness #zone #schools #joyful #learning #cordial #pupilteacher #relation
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

March 18, 2023
Higher Edu Institutions Must Promote Sports As ‘Core Subject’: LG

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Jammu, March 15 (GNS): Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha inaugurated Chancellor’s trophy at University of Jammu today. More than 550 sportspersons from various universities are participating in the three-day mega sports event ‘Sauhard’.
The Lt Governor called upon the Higher Education institutions to promote sports as a core subject. Sports is a powerful medium to ensure physical-emotional health, enhances learning efficiency & helps in character building, he added.
“Sports nurtures both mind & body and enables students to become well-rounded across disciplines. National Education Policy has given us an opportunity to promote Sports through multidisciplinary system and end fragmentation in education system,” said the Lt Governor.
Citing various reports and studies on the impact of sports on the mind of an individual, the Lt Governor said the researchers considered Sports as a miracle for the brain. It is important that sports should be a part of our curriculum, he noted.
Highlighting the initiatives taken for holistic development of youth, the Lt Governor said, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Education Policy is creating a progressive ecosystem for the students to translate their dreams into reality.
“Prime Minister’s vision for FIT India, Khelo India, National Education Policy, start-up opportunities, is building a strong foundation for India’s future,” said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor also pointed out that Sports was deeply rooted in the ancient education system.
Our Gurukuls had emphasized using Sports as a tool to enable socio-economic change, he said.

The Lt Governor encouraged the youth to follow in the footsteps of prominent personalities who achieved excellence in both academics and sports.
“Nothing is Impossible. You can achieve excellence in any field with your hard-work, dedication, right guidance and can build your future with your individuality and independent thinking,” said the Lt Governor.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor reiterated the commitment of the administration to providing all necessary facilities to sportspersons and making J&K a sporting powerhouse.
Prof Umesh Rai, Vice-Chancellor, Jammu University said that the University of Jammu, being one of the partners for hosting the Pre-Summit of G-20 Group of Countries, has taken an initiative to organise an inter-University Sports Competition for the Chancellor’s Trophy-2023 to promote brotherhood among students and scholars of the various Universities and to build trust and social harmony.
From the ensuing academic session, students can pursue two academic programmes simultaneously as per the UGC guidelines, he added.
Chancellor’s Trophy is being held under the initiative “My Youth My Pride” to promote the concept of NEP 2020 which envisages sports as part of the curriculum and lays emphasis on sports-integrated learning and as a skill for a quality life, it was informed.
Participants will compete in various sports disciplines like Basketball, Cricket, Kabaddi, Volleyball and Table Tennis.
Vice Chancellors of various Universities; HoDs, faculty members and students in large numbers were present on the occasion. (GNS)
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#Higher #Institutions #Promote #Sports #Core #Subject
( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

March 15, 2023
Higher Education Institutions Must Promote Sports As A Core Subject: LG Sinha

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SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated Chancellor’s trophy at University of Jammu on Wednesday. More than 550 sportspersons from various universities are participating in the three-day mega sports event ‘Sauhard’.
The Lt Governor called upon the Higher Education institutions to promote sports as a core subject. Sports is a powerful medium to ensure physical-emotional health, enhances learning efficiency & helps in character building, he added.
“Sports nurtures both mind & body and enables students to become well-rounded across disciplines. National Education Policy has given us an opportunity to promote Sports through multidisciplinary system and end fragmentation in education system,” said the Lt Governor.
Citing various reports and studies on the impact of sports on the mind of an individual, the Lt Governor said the researchers considered Sports as a miracle for the brain. It is important that sports should be a part of our curriculum, he noted.
Highlighting the initiatives taken for holistic development of youth, the Lt Governor said, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Education Policy is creating a progressive ecosystem for the students to translate their dreams into reality.
Prime Minister’s vision for FIT India, Khelo India, National Education Policy, start-up opportunities, is building a strong foundation for India’s future,said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor also pointed out that Sports was deeply rooted in the ancient education system.
Our Gurukuls had emphasized using Sports as a tool to enable socio-economic change, he said.

The Lt Governor encouraged the youth to follow in the footsteps of prominent personalities who achieved excellence in both academics and sports.
“Nothing is Impossible. You can achieve excellence in any field with your hard-work, dedication, right guidance and can build your future with your individuality and independent thinking,” said the Lt Governor.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor reiterated the commitment of the administration to providing all necessary facilities to sportspersons and making JK a sporting powerhouse.
Prof Umesh Rai, Vice-Chancellor, Jammu University said that the University of Jammu, being one of the partners for hosting the Pre-Summit of G-20 Group of Countries, has taken an initiative to organise an inter-University Sports Competition for the Chancellor’s Trophy-2023 to promote brotherhood among students and scholars of the various Universities and to build trust and social harmony.
Chancellor’s Trophy is being held under the initiative “My Youth My Pride” to promote the concept of NEP 2020 which envisages sports as part of the curriculum and lays emphasis on sports-integrated learning and as a skill for a quality life, it was informed.
Participants will compete in various sports disciplines like Basketball, Cricket, Kabaddi, Volleyball and Table Tennis.

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#Higher #Education #Institutions #Promote #Sports #Core #Subject #Sinha
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 15, 2023
NIRDPR, ICRISAT sign MoU to promote dryland crops, climate-smart farming

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Hyderabad: City-based National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) on Monday signed a MoU to strengthen evidence-based research and capacity building on critical development issues.
The Memorandum of Understanding aims to promote collaboration between the two institutions in areas such as climate change adaptation, rural entrepreneurship development, value chain development, sharing international best practices, scaling-up of identified agricultural and rural technologies, and livelihood development, a release from NIRDPR said.
Under the agreement, the two institutions will focus on different collaborative activities by sharing each other’s strengths, including developing Rurban’ clusters for ICRISAT mandate crops through value chain development, encouraging rural incubation and entrepreneurship development by integrating with National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) activities, it said.
Enhancing the value of new generation watersheds through climate proofing of Gram Panchayats in India and promoting international best practices for poverty alleviation through agriculture and rural development programmes is also included, it said.
NIRDPR Director General G Narendra Kumar emphasised that the collaboration between the two institutions is very important in the background of international opportunities and enabling exports of agri-products from dryland areas.
“The technical competence of ICRISAT in research and development on high-yielding varieties and related value-added products, and the strength of NIRDPR in creating business opportunities and marketing support through self-help groups (SHGs) under NRLM across the country, will act in synergy to transform rural livelihoods,” said Narendra Kumar.
ICRISAT Director General Jacqueline Hughes expressed her desire for the two institutions to work together for Africa, as they have several commonalities in terms of their vision, mission, and focus areas.
Partnership between NIRDPR and ICRISAT is expected to have a significant impact on rural development, poverty alleviation, and food security at the village level, the release added.

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#NIRDPR #ICRISAT #sign #MoU #promote #dryland #crops #climatesmart #farming
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 13, 2023
BJP guarantee of development, Cong-Left promote violence and scams: Modi in Tripura

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Agartala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an election rally in Tripura on Monday that the BJP is the guaranty of development while the Congress-CPI(M) promote violence, corruption and tried to keep the people poor.
Modi in his third election rally in three days said that the Left and Congress are doing ‘kushti’ (fight) in Kerala and ‘dosti’ (friendship) in Tripura. “Many people belonging to the Congress party were killed by the Left cadres in Tripura. The victim Congress family members would never vote for the Left parties. All of you should reject the unholy alliance for the betterment of Tripura,” the Prime Minister said.
He stated that during the Left regime “Chanda” (donation) collection was the only job of the Left cadres, who treated the people of Tripura as their “Ghulams” (servants). “Cadre Raj was prevailing in the police station to trade and business. If anyone hoisted flags other than CPI-M they were attacked. The BJP removed the red signal (defeated the Left parties) in the 2018 elections. The Left parties and Congress want to keep Tripura backward and the people to remain poor,” Modi claimed.
The Prime Minister said that the Left and the Congress looted Central funds. “One Congress Prime Minister earlier himself confessed that only 15 paise of the Centre’s one rupee reached the people.”
Highlighting the performance of the double engine government (Central and state governments), he said that the Ayushman Bharat Yojana provided the best cashless treatment to the people.
Saying that Tripura topped in the country in providing concrete houses to the people under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the Prime Minister said that Rs 500 crore was transferred directly to the farmers’ account as the BJP government started procurement of rice since it came to power in the state. With the initiative of the Tripura government, fruits were exported, benefiting the farmers.
He said that an IIIT, National Forensic University, National Law University are being set up in Tripura and added that development of the tourism infrastructure is underway and can boost employment. “For the bright future of the coming generations people should remain alert against the disastrous plan of the Congress and Left parties’ joint politics,” Modi said, adding that the BJP government’s HIRA (Highway, I-way, Railway and Airway) model would boost the income and creation of jobs.
Noting that Agartala airport is the only such modern airport in the entire northeast region, the Prime Minister said that most of the work on the Indian side of the Agartala-Akahura railway project has been completed and it is continuing on the Bangladesh side. “The new railway project would help Tripura and the other northeastern states in a big way.”

The Prime Minister said that the “Maitri” bridge over the Feni river would boost the economy of the region and make Tripura a hub in southeast Asia. Referring to the visit of Rabindra Nath Tagore on a number of occasions to Tripura, Modi said that the BJP government was taking forward Tripura as guided by Gurudev and the erstwhile kings.
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#BJP #guarantee #development #CongLeft #promote #violence #scams #Modi #Tripura
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 13, 2023
Telangana, Flanders to join hands to promote Lifesciences industry
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Hyderabad: Telangana government has announced that it is partnering with Flanders (named the International Regional Partner at BioAsia 2023) a vibrant and dynamic region of Belgium, to explore multiple opportunities in the Lifesciences sector aimed at Vaccines and mRNA technological platforms, Immunotherapy, Life Sciences university partnership and Cluster-to-Cluster collaborations (VIB and Genome Valley in particular).
In continuation with its focus on strengthening its growing stature in the global Lifesciences ecosystem, the state government is taking one more step towards forging key global alliances.
Currently, the Flanders’ Lifescienes industry is estimated to be at over 350 companies employing over 200,00 people including indirect jobs.
The region has attracted in the Life Sciences & Pharma segment more than a quarter of the total record investment of Euros 5.2 Bn in 2022 into Flanders from across the globe. The total estimated Life Sciences business in Belgium is estimated around US$ 44 Bn.
As the first step of this partnership, Flanders will be participating as International Region Partners for the next 3 editions of BioAsia starting with the forthcoming 20th edition of BioAsia – the marquee healthcare and life sciences event, organized by the Government of Telangana. At BioAsia 2023, Flanders Investment & Trade will bring a key delegation of senior officials from Flanders and also participate in multiple B2B, G2B, and other meetings.
A task force with members including industry, academia and Government from both sides have been formed and the group will discuss and implement the partnership.
BioAsia in Telangana and Knowledge for Growth in Flanders shall be the two anchor events on either side in which both ecosystems shall participate in these events to steer the Flanders Telangana Lifesciences Cooperation in the next 3 to 4 years.
Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) is the Flemish public agency under the Flanders government and advises supports and stimulates Flemish companies in their exports of products & services.

It also encourages & supports overseas companies to set up business in Europe based out of Flanders, Belgium. In India, FIT has been active for the last 25 years and has played a key role in promoting economic cooperation between Flanders and India over the past two decades.
With Belgium being the nerve center of Europe, Flanders in Belgium has a combination of a strongly focused research and innovation ecosystem, a highly educated and productive workforce with fluency in languages, and a highly developed transport and communication infrastructure to ensure sustainable, profitable growth.
While announcing the partnership with Flanders Investment & Trade, K.T. Rama Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Industries & Commerce, IT & MAUD said, “A region equally headstrong in innovation, growth, and R&D, Flanders’ partnership with Telangana will boost both parties to share the latest developments in the Lifesciences Industry.
The industry landscape of Flanders and Telangana is very similar with focus on lifesciences (more specifically vaccines), technology and engineering, and this partnership will allow us to explore Flanders’ robust technology landscape and the sectoral strengths it possesses to provide an ideal environment for industries in both regions.
Commenting on the partnership, Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce and Information Technology, Govt of Telangana said “We are delighted to enter into a partnership with Flanders Investment and Trade that will pave the way to leverage multiple synergies between both regions.
Telangana-based companies will be able to get access to the potential business opportunities, R&D facilities, and the high-quality know-how of Flanders-based organizations. This will play a significant role in the faster growth of both regions and their participation in BioAsia 2023 will certainly lead to many collaborations.”
“Flanders’ Life Sciences ecosystem is very diverse and ranges from young start-ups to established local firms and multinationals – the entire value chain – from research and discovery to development and commercialization. It is also characterized by the fertile cross-pollination between BioTech, MedTech, Pharmaceuticals, and Healthcare.
We engage with companies, industry associations, and other stakeholders in the economic ecosystem. As part of this, we have been engaging with our esteemed partner Government of Telangana extensively and are proud of our association and have jointly embarked on a long-term Flanders – Telangana Life Sciences Cooperation, and we look forward further to engaging and consolidating our interaction,” added Jayant Nadiger – Trade & Investment Commissioner of Flanders, Belgium for South India.
“BioAsia 2023 will attract the participation of globally eminent leaders from over 50 countries. Having Flanders, Belgium as an International Regional Partner will help accelerate connect businesses and budding enterprises through platforms like the BioAsia forum. This partnership is a testimony of two similar regions with a similar ecosystems coming together, increasing connectivity and paving a path for tomorrow that’s driven by robust research, innovation and excellence,” said Shakthi Nagappan, Director (Life Sciences and Pharma), Govt of Telangana and CEO – BioAsia.
Areas of cooperation between Telangana and Flanders Investment Trade:
- Cluster to Cluster cooperation – Clusters in Flanders like FlanderBIO, VIB, would engage with the identified clusters in Hyderabad, including Genome Valley (one of Asia’s largest lifesciences R&D clusters with more than 200 companies), Medtech Park (more than 50 companies) in Telangana, to help companies explore market access, technology partnerships, joint venture opportunities, testing / CRO engagement, etc.
- Vaccines and mRNA technological platform: Hyderabad is known as the vaccine capital of the world producing about 9 bn doses of vaccines each year. Another 5 Bn doses capacity is currently being added. Also, WHO’s mRNA vaccine hub will also be housed in Hyderabad. Hyderabad’s vaccine manufacturing legacy would be another key aspect that the partners would leverage.
- Immunotherapy – The Government of Telangana intends to establish an Institute of Curative Medicine in Hyderabad that aims to develop and commercialize the latest age-appropriate therapies for diseases prevalent in this region. Government’s and global players’ preliminary interest in this initiative would be an area of discussion between the partners.
- HPC and Lifesciences University: Hyderabad Pharma City (HPC) will be the world’s largest pharmaceutical cluster being developed as a new global benchmark for sustainable industrial clusters with its extraordinary and efficient infrastructure networks. HPC will also house a global university embedded in the industrial ecosystem with a focus on driving innovation. Flanders’ knowledge in the area will be leveraged through this partnership.
  With the theme of – “Advancing for ONE: Shaping the next generation of humanized healthcare”, BioAsia 2023 is all set to be held between 24th to 26th February 2023 in Hyderabad. Over the course of the three days, prominent industry leaders, distinguished scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs will come together to discuss humanizing healthcare and will hold constructive discussions on how cross-sectional ecosystems can be integrated, how disruptive technologies can be best utilized, and how we can drive quality healthcare with accessibility and affordability at the forefront in the near future.
  BioAsia is born with a vision to enhance, enrich and encourage newer innovations, path-breaking discoveries and effective solutions in the biotechnology industry by offering a vibrant global platform for convergence of the key stakeholders – Biotech & Biopharma Companies, research institutions, academia, investors, service providers, policymakers, regulators, and analysts. BioAsia is focused in its efforts – to drive the growth of the industry by enabling an effective environment for fostering collaborations, JV’s M&A’s; ensure knowledge and experience sharing by global industry players to benefit all stakeholders; promote innovations and initiatives through appropriate awards and recognitions; play a pivotal role in advocating issues to the policymakers and chartering the road-map of biotechnology. BioAsia is a dynamic platform for companies -to exhibit, launch and showcase their unique strengths, products, and services. BioAsia is playing the role of a key catalyst in mobilizing all elements that are required to drive the growth of the emerging industry of Biotechnology as well as optimize the immense business potential of biotech. On a larger level, BioAsia is working to drive a global transformation from the treatment of illness to wellness.
  This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.
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#Telangana #Flanders #join #hands #promote #Lifesciences #industry
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )
February 11, 2023
J&K Govt Launches Project To Promote Sustainable Agriculture With Focus On Organic Farming

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JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government has initiated a vital programme to support its farmers and promote sustainable agriculture in the Union Territory.
With a growing concern for health and an increasing demand for organic food, the government is investing in a project that will boost organic food production and increase economic returns for farmers in the UT. This is a part of the government’s larger efforts to create a safer, cleaner and more sustainable environment for agriculture and food production in the region.
The government has kept a budget of Rs 84 crore to support the program over the next five years. This initiative is part of a larger effort to promote sustainable agriculture, commercial agriculture and healthy food production. The project envisages creation of over 12600 jobs and 300 enterprises in the organic agri-sector.
The program included a range of interventions to support organic farming such as expanding organic cultivation in a cluster approach, producing and recycling bio-inputs, facilitating certification and marketing and providing training and capacity building for farmers. The project aims to create six to seven organic clusters per district, covering a total of 2000 hectare of land. Additionally, it aims to convert another 2000 hectare into organic production, including niche crops and default organic areas. The program will also provide training to 10,000 farmer families in organic farming and establish 200 commercial and 3000 low-cost vermicompost units and 100 Integrated Organic Farming System Units. Besides, two Bio-Input Production Units will also be set up to supply organic inputs for the production clusters.
“The project will have a number of positive outcomes which will further fuel growth in organic production within J&K, including development of trained manpower and a package of practices suited to the region, dedicated bio-input production facilities, certification and branding facilities and an organic value/market chain.”, said Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department.
“J&K has a number of remote areas where very little chemical use is being undertaken in Agriculture. Moreover, the farmers in these areas are usually marginal and economically weak. By promoting organic cultivation, the livelihood of these farmers will be secured and their returns significantly improved,” he added.
“Alternate Agriculture System for Sustainability” is one among the 29 projects, which were approved by the Jammu and Kashmir administration after being recommended by the UT Level Apex Committee for holistic development of Agriculture and allied sectors in UT of J&K. The prestigious committee is being headed by Dr Mangala Rai, Former DG ICAR and has other luminaries in the field of Agriculture, Planning, Statistics and Administration like Ashok Dalwai, CEO NRAA, Dr. P. K Joshi, Secretary, NAAS, Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner MOA & FW, Dr. H. S Gupta, Former Director, IARI, Atal Dulloo, ACS, Agriculture Production Department apart from the Vice Chancellors of the twin Agriculture Universities of the UT.
One of the main goals of the project is to expand the area under certified organic cultivation to 4000 hectares, involving 10,000 farmer families. The program aims to promote organic farming and provide farmers with knowledge about organic input production and resource recycling, as well as help them obtain certification for their produce, fetching a premium price in the process. The program will also help build the capacity of scientists, extension workers, and farmers.

The program will garner support from a number of stakeholders including participatory farmers, certification organizations such as NCOF, APEDA, NPOP and PKVY, organic entrepreneurs for bio-input production and SHG/FPOs/CIGs for effective marketing.
In a nutshell, the project on Alternate Agriculture System launched by the J&K government is a major step forward in promoting sustainable agriculture and supporting the economic well-being of farmers in the region. By promoting organic farming and creating a value chain for organic produce, the program will not only help create a clean and safe production ecosystem, but also make a significant contribution to the state’s GDP. This project is expected to bring about a major transformation in the agriculture sector in J&K, providing farmers with a sustainable source of livelihood for years to come.

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#Govt #Launches #Project #Promote #Sustainable #Agriculture #Focus #Organic #Farming
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 8, 2023