Tracing the history of human activities for survival, farm scientist and the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad S.A. Patil has said that agriculture is the first business of mankind and all cultures are born out of it.
“The whole of mankind is originally a farming community. All cultures are born out of agriculture. Farming is the first business that humankind undertook. Even today, it is the most-trusted profession across the globe. Farmers can become millionaires in five years if they use advanced technologies in farming. Once, India was suffering from food crisis. Today, it is self-sufficient and it can survive for a year without cultivating any new crop,” Prof. Patil said.
He was speaking at a workshop to assess the impact of Skill India Mission and PM Krishi Samman Nidhi at Central University of Karnataka near Kalaburagi on Monday.
The event was organised by Central University in association with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
Academician from Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune, Kailas Tawre pointed out how farmers and farming are disrespected, despite them feeding the entire country.
“We all enjoy the fruits of agriculture but unfortunately we don’t respect the farmers. We must respect the efforts of farmers who feed the country. The best way to respect them is not to waste food. For a happy and healthy life, we must use organic food and avoid chemical and adulterated food that is the main cause for many diseases like cancer,” he said.
Registrar (Evaluation) of Sharnbasava University Shivadatta Honnalli pointed out the huge number of youths who are yet to become employable and said that programmes like Skill India will help in bridging this gap.
Central University Vice-Chancellor Battu Satyanarayana, who inaugurated the workshop, stressed the need to devise different mechanisms to ensure that the government projects reached the targeted beneficiaries.
“Assessment of the implementation of government schemes is very crucial. It will help understand the issues and challenges in their implementation. ICSSR has made a very good decision to study the implementation of major Central government schemes. Universities have to work on social science projects to help government and society. The job of the universities is not just providing certificate but also solving social problems. Unfortunately, the role of social sciences is undermined in nation building,” he said.
Project Director Panduranga Patti, Dean of School of Business Studies Pushpa Savadatti, faculty members Mohammed Zohair, Suma Scaria, Kesar Solanki, Jayadevi Jangamshetty, Swapnil Chapekar, Ganapati B. Sinnoor, D. Gautam, Jagadeesh Biradar, Mallikarjun Hugar, Ravindra Kumar, Shivakumar Belli, Basavaraj M.S., Safia Parveen and Dr. Shushma H. were present.
