BioVoice News October 2016 Issue 6 Volume 1 | Page 36

news bytes DBT SPENT 14 CRORE ON BIORESOURCE COMPLEXES TO EMPOWER MARGINAL POPULATIONS The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India says that it has established several rural bio-resource complexes to provide economical and technological empowerment to women and lower sections of rural population through selected biotech packages like cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants, mushrooms, Spirulina and seaweeds, biological control of plant pests and diseases, vermi-composting, bio-fertilizers; aquaculture; floriculture; poultry farming and animal husbandry. DBT supported this programme with financial aid of around Rs 1516 Crores. The State Government Departments and the State Agricultural Universities have provided technology inputs in terms of land, building, infrastructural facilities such as road, power, water, transportation, subsidies such as irrigation, fertilizer etc. These institutes with adequate extension services and work force training also provided proven and field tested technological knowledge and intervention. Five bio-resource complexes have been established at University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS, Bangalore), Orissa University of Science & Technology (OUAT, Bhubaneswar), GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT, Uttarakhand) Haryana Agricultural University (HAU, Hissar) and Marathwada Agricultural University (MAU, Parbhani). GOVT TELLS SCIENTISTS & BUREAUCRATS TO WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE FARMER'S INCOME The union agriculture ministry has called upon the scientists and officers of Central and State Governments to work dedicatedly to chalk out concrete strategy to increase farmers’ income by two fold. As per the Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister, Mr Radha Mohan Singh, the average yield of major crops in India is very low as compared with the world yield average and substantial variation in productivity is visible among the states. Therefore, the need of the hour is that the scientists and officers of the Central and State Governments should work with full dedication to firm up a concrete strategy to double the farmers’ income. Mr Singh said this while inaugurating a two-day National Rabi Conference in New Delhi on September 15th while hoping that it will provide a platform for result-oriented discussions and sharing of experiences/skills to prepare for the forthcoming rabi season. Minister said that the two-day National Conference will provide opportunity to fix crop wise targets, to put in place a robust arrangement of supplies to different states and to introduce new technologies and new practices in the agriculture sector. 36 BioVoiceNews | October 2016 KHARIF CROP SOWING REGISTERS MARGINAL HIKE, CROSSES 1059 HECTARES The union government has also declared th