text of PM's remarks after the launch of gold related schemes

text of PM's remarks after the launch of gold related schemes

उपस्थित सभी महानुभव।

हम बचपन से सुनते आए थे ‘सोने पे सुहागा’। लेकिन अब तक समझ नहीं था कि ‘सोने पर सुहागा’ होता क्‍या है। आज हमारे वित्‍त मंत्री जी ने हमें समझा दिया ‘सोने पर सुहागा’ क्‍या होता है। देश के लिए योजना सच्‍चे अर्थ में ‘सोने पे सुहागा’ इस भाव को चरित्रार्थ करती है। और हम ऐसे गरीब देश हैं जिसके पास 20 हजार टन सोना यूं ही पड़ा है। और शायद हमारी गरीबी का कारण भी यही है कि 20 हजार टन सोना पड़ा हुआ है। और इसलिए भारत को गरीब रहने का कोई कारण नहीं है, कोई कारण नहीं है। कोई logic नहीं समझा पा रहा कि हमें गरीब क्‍यों रहना चाहिए। अगर हम थोड़ी कोशिश करें, सही दिशा में कोशिश करें, तो हम.. हम पर जो Tag लगा है, उस Tag से मुक्ति पा सकते हैं। और उस रास्‍ते का एक महत्‍वपूर्ण, अहम कदम आज है कि ये Gold संबंधी भिन्‍न-भिन्न योजनाएं।

अब मैं बचपन से सुनता आया था लोगों से कि भई आधी रात को काम आता है। सोना रखो, आधी रात को काम आता है। कभी जरूरत पड़ जाए तो काम आ जाएगा; लेकिन मैंने सैकड़ों लोगों को पूछा कि भई कभी आपकी जिंदगी में ऐसी नौबत आई है क्‍या? मुझे अभी तक कोई मिला नहीं, जिसको आधी रात उसका उपयोग हुआ हो लेकिन मनोवैज्ञानिक रूप से उसके दिमाग में फिट है कि भई यह रखो कभी आधी रात काम आ जाएगा। और यह जो हमारे बने बनाए कुछ विचार ने घर कर लिया है, उसमें से समाज को बाहर लाना यह आसान काम नहीं है। आप समझा करके कितने ही पढ़े-लिखे व्‍यक्ति को कहोगे कि छोड़ों, आसान नहीं है। Even Reserve Bank के Governor को भी अपनी पत्‍नी कुछ मांगेगी तो Gold लाना ही पड़ेगा। जबकि उनका अर्थशास्‍त्र Gold के संबंध में अलग होगा, लेकिन गृहशास्‍त्र अलग होगा, तो यह जो अवस्‍था है उस अवस्‍था में कोई न कोई innovative, creative हमने व्‍यवस्‍थाएं विकसित करनी पड़ेगी। दूसरी एक सोच बनी हुई हैं हमारे देश में एक ऐसा Perception है दुनिया में कि भारत में महिलाओं के पास कुछ होता नहीं है। मकान है तो पति के नाम पर, पिता के नाम पर, गाड़ी है तो पति या बेटे के नाम पर, खेत है तो पिता के नाम महिलाओं के पास ? लेकिन बारीकी से देखेंगे तो सोना एक होता है जो महिला की ताकत का विषय होता है। यह ऐसे बनी हुई व्‍यवस्‍था नहीं है। कोई सिर्फ एक सामाजिक व्‍यवस्‍था का एक बहुत बड़ा ताकतवर हिस्‍सा रहा है, जो women empowerment बहुत बड़ा पहलू है। उसके नाम पर मकान नहीं होगा, लेकिन उसके पास यह संपत्ति उसके मालिक की होती है। और परिवार भी उसको question नहीं करता, बेटी भी question नहीं करती, यह तो मां का है। यह जो हमारा संस्‍कार का एक उत्‍तम पहलू भी है। जिसने women empowerment के लिए एक ऐसा सामाजिक जीवन में व्‍यवस्‍था विकसित की and with the help of gold यह हमारा structure विकसित हुआ है, तो उसको बरकरार भी रखना है। हमारी माताएं-बहनें उनके अंदर जो सुरक्षा का भाव है यह बरकरार रहना चाहिए। हम इस scheme में ये विश्‍वास अगर पहुंचाते हैं तो शायद इसकी सबसे ज्‍यादा सफलता का कारण महिलाएं बनेगी। दूसरा हमने देखा होगा हमारे यहां सम्‍पन्‍न परिवारों के family डॉक्‍टर होते हैं। even मध्‍यम वर्ग परिवार के भी family डॉक्‍टर होते हैं। लेकिन निम्‍म वर्ग, गरीब वर्ग परिवार के family डॉक्‍टर नहीं होते हैं। लेकिन हमारे देश में हर परिवार का family goldsmith होता है। कितना बड़ा विश्‍वास होता है। तीन-तीन, चार-चार पीढ़ी से वो सुनार, यानी वो अमेरिका में रहने गया होगा, लेकिन अपने गांव का सुनार है उसी को ढूंढेगा कि भई देखो जरा मैं यह भेजता हूं, कर देना। यह विश्‍वसनीयता एक बहुत बड़ी यानी सदियों की तपस्‍या से बनती है। उस ताकत को भी हमें पहचानना होगा। और इसलिए जब योजना के विषय में मेरे से चर्चा हो रही थी, तो श्रीमान दास को मैं कह रहा था कि जो गांव के छोटे-छोटे goldsmith हैं, वे हमारे एजेंड कैसे बन सकते हैं इस योजना के। एक समय ऐसा था 1968 goldsmith सरकार का सबसे बड़ा दुश्‍मन बना हुआ था। मैं गुजरात के पार्टन नामक शहर में बचपन में कुछ समय बिताया था। जिस गली में मैं रहता था वो सोने की गली थी। वहां एक सज्‍जन थे, उनका एक कार्यक्रम रहता था। सुबह अखबार आता था तो सिगरेट जलाते थे और अखबार में जहां भी मौराजी भाई का फोटो हो तो उसको जलाते थे। इतना गुस्‍सा, इतना गुस्‍सा वो करते थे, क्‍यों‍कि उनको लगता था कि भई हमारी तो सारी रोजी-रोटी चली गई। हम इस योजना के द्वारा ऐसी कैसे व्‍यवस्‍था विकसित करें ताकि उसको फिर एक एक बार empower करें। वो हमारा इस profession का एजेंट कैसे बने, क्‍योंकि उसका विश्‍वास है कि मैं किसी के लिए बुराई नहीं कर रहा हूं लेकिन बैंक से ज्‍यादा उसको अपने गांव के सुनार पर ज्‍यादा भरोसा है। वो बड़े से बड़े jewelry की showroom में जाएगा, लाने के बाद अपने सुनार के यहां जरा चैक कर ले भई। कितना ही बड़ा showroom होगा.. हमारे मेहुल भाई यहां बैठे हैं, लेकिन वो जाएगा। जाएगा अपने सुनार के पास जरा चैक तो करो, मैं ले तो आया हूं। ये एक हमारी इस व्‍यवस्‍था की एक बहुत बड़ी कड़ी बन सकती है। और यह स्‍ट्रक्‍चर already available है। हम उनको gold bond के लिए किस प्रकार से प्रेरित कर सकते है, उनको कैसे विश्‍वास दिला सकते हैं। हम एक decent line mechanism कैसे develop कर सकते हैं और मैं चाहूंगा कि Department के लोग इस पर सोचे, अगर यह हम कर पाएं तो शायद एकदम से यह बढ़ेगा। सरकार में कोई योजना बजट में आए और इतने कम समय में यह लागू हो जाए और Target तय किया है धनतेरस के पहले, क्‍योंकि भारत में शादी में सोने का जितना महत्‍व है, उससे ज्‍यादा धनतेरस को है। और सबसे ज्‍यादा import इन्‍हीं दिनों में हुआ होगा। क्‍योंकि लोगों को लगता होगा कि कोई बहुत बड़ा मार्केट खुलने वाला है तो हमको.. अब यह देखिए एक हजार टन सोना हर वर्ष हम import करते हैं और यह इतनी बड़ी शक्ति है हमारी अगर बिना उपयोग के पड़ी रहे किसी ने कोई बहुत बड़ा जलाशय बनाया हो dam बनाया हो, अरबों खरबों रुपये खर्च किये हो। लेकिन अगर canal network न हो और किसानों के पास पहुंचेगा नहीं तो क्‍या करना है उसको। यह हमारे 20 हजार टन सोने की यही हाल है जी। हमें इसको राष्‍ट्र की शक्ति में परिवर्तित करना है और सामाजिक सुरक्षा में अधिक बलवान बनाना है। इसके एक पहलू नहीं संभव है। यह सामाजिक सुरक्षा का जो पहलू है उसको हमें और Strengthen करना है। राष्‍ट्र की विकास यात्रा में वो एक बहुत बड़ा रोल प्‍ले कर सकते उस प्रकार का हमने विश्‍वास जताना है, mechanism बनाना है। आज एक चिंता तो लोगों को रहती है कि भई कहां रखें 15 दिन बाहर जाना है तो यह सब रखे कहां? रिश्‍तेदार के भी यहां रखें तो क्‍या रखें, कैसे उसको.. मन में चिंता रहती है। यह सुरक्षा का सबसे बड़ा Tension है वो इस योजना से मिट जाता है। उसको विश्‍वास बन जाता है कि यहां मेरा पैसा सुरक्षित है। कभी-कभार व्‍यक्ति Gold में इसलिए करता है कि रुपये के थैले कहां रखेंगे? इतनी छोटी जगह में Gold आ जाएगा तो इतने बड़े थैले वाला रुपये.. तो हम जानते है वो क्‍या होता है सब। लेकिन अगर आज वो उसके पास bond आ गया तो अपना चार कागज़ रख लें चोर भी आएगा तो वो हाथ नहीं लगाएगा। वो कहेगा यह कागज़ को क्‍या ले जाना, नहीं ले जाना भई, ये तो बेकार है। यानी सुरक्षा की guarantee है और यह वो बेच भी सकता है। सोना आधी रात को बिका हो, यह मुझे पता नहीं है। लेकिन मैं विश्‍वास से कहता हूं कि Gold Bond जरूरत पड़ने पर आधी रात को बेच सकते हैं, कहीं अस्‍पताल में जाना पड़ा ऑपरेशन करना पड़े, डॉक्‍टर कहता है पहले पैसे लाओ, Gold Bond दे दिया ऑपरेशन हो जाएगा। यह इतनी संभावनाएं तो सोने में नहीं है। यानी plus point है इसमें। हम इन चीजों को बड़ा articulate करके लोगों तक कैसे पहुंचाएं। उसी प्रकार से हमारा जो यह जमा जमाया ऐसे ही Gold पड़ा हुआ है। बैंक में आएगा और लम्‍बे समय के लिए आएगा तो वो jewellry के लिए चला जाएगा। jewellry के लिए चला जाएगा तो मैं मानता हूं jewellry क्षेत्र के लोगों को इस प्रकार से Gold सरलता से मिलेगा उनके सामने कोई question नहीं होंगे। एक jewellry के business वालों के लिए बैंक से direct requirement के अनुसार Gold मिल जाना locally ही मिल जाना यह अपने आप में हमारे jewellry के promotion के लिए बहुत सुविधा का कारण बनेगा और इसलिए जो jewellry की दुनिया से जुड़े हुए लोग हैं क्‍योंकि हम दुनिया के सबसे बड़े आज Gold consumer है। अभी मुझे कल कोई रिपोर्ट बता रहा था कि हमने चाइना को भी इसमें पीछे छोड़ दिया। शायद four-five hundred sixty two टन अब तक नौ महीने में शायद हमने Gold खरीदा है। और चाइना से five hundred forty eight पर खड़ा है। अगर इतना हम तेजी से कर रहे हैं, तो यह व्‍यवस्‍था हम बदलाव ला सकते हैं। monthly monitoring करके हम target तय कर सकते हैं कि इस month घरों का Gold बैंक में आएगा और उतनी मात्रा में बाहर से आना कम होगा। ये हम online monitoring व्‍यवस्‍था विकसित कर सकते थे, तो शायद हम इस सारी नई व्‍यवस्‍था को एक सचमुच में राष्‍ट्रहित में, राष्‍ट्र के‍ विकास के काम में इसको हम जोड़ सकते हैं। इसके साथ एक राष्‍ट्रीय स्‍वाभिमान का विषय भी है। क्‍या कारण है कि हम अभी भी विदेशी मार्के से सोना.. और आज भी पूछते हैं कि अच्‍छा वो मार्क का है। मुझे तो नाम याद नहीं, क्‍योंकि मेरा कोई ऐसे लेना-देना है नहीं, लेकिन सुनते आए हैं। अब वो विश्‍वास से कहेगा कि भई अशोक चक्र है क्‍या। मेरे देश को इस पर भरोसा है क्‍या। यह हमने brand popular करना चाहिए। अब हमने तय करना चाहिए कि हम अब विदेशी मार्क वाला बाजार में हम खुद ही नहीं देंगे। हम jewelry में होंगे, हम Gold बैचने वाले लोग होंगे, हम नहीं करेंगे। यह ठीक है कि अभी इस धनतेरस तो शायद सौ सवा सौ सेंटर पर ही मिलेगा शायद लेकिन वो धीरे-धीरे बढ़ेगा। तो जिन लोगों को धनतेरस पर सोना खरीदना है उनको कुछ जगह पर तो मिल ही जाएगा लेकिन आगे चल करके होगा, लेकिन एक राष्‍ट्रीय स्‍वाभिमान से जुड़ना चाहिए और हमें इसको बल देना चाहिए। और इतने कम समय में वित्‍त मंत्री और उनकी पूरी टीम ने पूरी scheme को workout किया, उसको launch किया। Technology भी इसमें है और manufacturing भी है। सारी व्‍यवस्‍थाएं नये सिरे से करनी पड़ी है। लेकिन सारी व्‍यवस्‍थाएं की और मैं जब इस coin को देखा शायद मैंने अपने रुपये वगैरह पर जो गांधी जी देखें हैं इसमें बहुत बढि़या उनका चित्र निकला है गांधी जी का, यानी जिसने भी इसका artwork किया है उसको मैं बधाई देता हूं। इतना यानी feeling आता है। आप देखेंगे तो ध्‍यान में आएगा। बहुत ही अच्‍छा artwork किया है यानी इसके लिए.. मेरा स्‍वभाव है, इन चीजों में मेरी रूचि होने के कारण मैं थोड़ा अलग प्रकार से देखता रहता हूं। लेकिन मैं बधाई देता हूं पूरी टीम को, अरूण जी को विशेष बधाई देता हूं। और देशवासियों को शुभकामनाएं देता हूं कि धनतेरस के इस पावन पर्व से और दिवाली के शुभकामनाओं के साथ भारत स्‍वर्णिम युग के लिए आगे बढ़े और आपका 20 हजार टन सोना भारत के स्‍वर्णिम युग की ओर जाने के लिए काफी है। ऐसा मेरा विश्‍वास है आइये भारत को स्‍वर्णिम युग बनाने के लिए जिनके पास सोना है, वो इस सुनहरे अवसर को न छोड़े और सोने पर सुहागा उसको फायदा वो भी उठाए। यही मेरी अपेक्षाएं और शुभकामनाएं हैं।

Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of launch of imprint India on the second day of Visitor’s Conference

Address by the president of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of launch of imprint India on the second day of Visitor’s Conference

Good Morning!

1. I extend a warm welcome to you all who are here to attend the first-ever Visitor’s Conference. In the past, I have had the occasion to meet many of you during the different conferences organized at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and convocations at your institutes. This is, however, the first time that as Visitor, I am meeting you all together. As mentioned by my Secretary, the outcomes of the previous conferences have given us the confidence that the institutes of higher learning, if they come together, can make a difference in a short span of time to higher education sector in our country. With this shared belief, we are here today.

2. I thank Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, for his gracious presence. His enchanting speech and inspiring words, I have no doubt, will set the tone for the deliberations during the Conference. I take this opportunity to also place on record my appreciation for Shrimati Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister for Human Resource Development. By steering various initiatives with purpose and energy, she has taken forward the education sector.

3. I compliment the Prime Minister and the HRD Minister for the just-launched programme of IMPRINT, a Pan IIT and IISc initiative. The ten themes of this programme identifying the immediate requirements of the society will lay down the research roadmap for institutes of national importance. I call upon the academic leaders of institutes in social sector and humanities’ domain to formulate a similar joint initiative for conducting research on themes of relevance to public policy-making.

4. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: It is true that the past ten years have seen a vast expansion of the higher education infrastructure. However, low Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at 21 percent in India as against the world average of 27 percent remains a cause for concern. A New Education Policy is being formulated. I am told that a process of consultation has commenced on 13 themes for school education and 20 themes for higher education. The new policy must alter the dynamics of the education sector and help us achieve the GER target of 30 percent by 2020, a goal we cannot afford to miss.

5. At the altar of expansion, quality should not be sacrificed. Greater number of institutions translates into greater number of seats, enhancing access and equity in higher education. However, it has generated a lively debate on reach versus excellence, quality versus affordability, and accountability versus autonomy. A calm assessment will make it clear to all stakeholders that we need both reach and excellence, quality and affordability, and autonomy with accountability.

6. Increasing access in higher education through digital inclusion is a way forward. We should, without delay, think of taking modified MOOCs to the secondary education level. To skill India, we must design MOOCs that is interactive and offer vocational aspirants an opportunity to learn. This could revolutionize delivery of skills knowledge.

7. Distinguished participants: An institute of higher learning finds its real value by excelling in education, research and innovation. This calls for faculty development and augmentation of teaching resources across the board. This calls for inspired teachers, keen-to-learn students, and good physical and research infrastructure. This also calls for a reliable and extensive ICT network. Some encouraging developments in the recent past, that I can recall are:

(i) Intensification of exchange of faculty through formal arrangements with foreign institutions: In addition to the MOUs that must have been signed by various institutions of higher learning, over 80 MOUs with 50 overseas institutions have been signed during my visits abroad in the last two years. This demonstrates the interest and potential for collaboration with international institutions.

(ii) Removal of bottlenecks and simplification of procedures for filling up faculty positions;

(iii) Engagement of adjunct faculty and hiring of foreign experts - the Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN) is a welcome step aimed at tapping the global pool of talented scientists and entrepreneurs. By encouraging their engagement with Indian institutes, we can augment our country’s academic resources.

8. Distinguished participants: It is good to see research moving centre-stage in our institutes of higher learning. This will in near future help us meet the need for good faculty. A recent example is IIT Delhi, which has awarded 221 PhDs this year, the highest in a year so far. It has resolved to increase this number to 400 in the next few years. Such initiatives will not only lead to higher research quotient for the nation but also improve rankings of the institutions.

9. Earlier not a single Indian institution came within the top 200 institutions in international rankings. It seems that my persistent exhortation has paid off. Many of you have responded to my call. I am grateful for that. Our institutions are now taking the ranking process more seriously, in a proactive and systematic manner. In the QS World University Rankings 2015-16, Indian institutions have broken into the top 200 for the first time. I compliment Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, which is ranked 147^th and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, ranked 179^th, for this achievement. If we provide enough funds to top 10-20 institutions for next 4-5 years, we will soon see them storm into the top 100.

10. The National Institutional Ranking Framework launched by the Ministry of HRD with an India-centric approach is a step in the right direction. This initiative should enable Indian institutes of higher learning to realize their potential and emerge as world-class institutions.

11. Ladies and Gentlemen: Knowledge is indivisible. We must follow a multi-disciplinary approach that allows students to learn and seek knowledge holistically. Our institutions must impart education to the students that help expand their intellect, form their character, instill in them a spirit of service and love for the motherland. It must equip them to face the struggle of real life. It must deepen the students’ linkage with society. It is also necessary to develop in our students a scientific temper, which allows the flight of imagination beyond the realm of grades and classrooms. Promotion of research at the under-graduate level would assist such an objective.

12. Distinguished participants: The link between progress and innovation is direct. History is witness to many nations low on natural resources emerging as advanced economies only on the strength of rapid technological development. India today stands within a striking distance of realizing the dreams of the founding fathers of our nation. Indian youth are second to none in entrepreneurship. India serves as the fastest growing start-up base worldwide and stands third with 4,200 start-ups, next only to US and UK. The government has initiated the ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ campaign to incentivize entrepreneurial ventures. Heads of institutes of higher learning must work towards creating an innovation and research network that will produce entrepreneurs and nurture innovations. The setting up of Innovation Clubs in over 60 Central institutions in the last two years is a good beginning for a platform where novel ideas can be nurtured and innovators mentored to develop new products.

13. In response to the decision taken in the conference of vice chancellors of central universities in 2014, industry interface cells have been set up in many institutions. These cells are now lending vigour to activities like joint research, faculty exchange, and setting up of chairs and endowments. These cells can also interact closely with innovation incubators for monetizing ideas and research. The 45 MOUs signed with the industry yesterday takes to next level the partnership between industry and academia.

14. Ladies and Gentlemen: Academic institutions are an important stakeholder for the socio-economic development of the nation. I had earlier asked central universities and NITs to adopt at least five villages and transform them into model villages. I now extend my call to all the 114 central institutions. After identifying problems in the adopted villages, they must pool all academic and technical resources at their disposal to provide solutions that will enhance the quality of life of our countrymen.

15. As we start the deliberations in this Conference, I assure you of an exciting journey ahead in the world of education. Be ready for roadblocks, criticisms, failures and successes. But continue to work with a fresh and positive mind. Do take heart from what Mahatma Gandhi had said, and I quote: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” (unquote). And win you shall.

Thank you.

launch of ‘IMPRINT India’

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched ‘IMPRINT India’, a Pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative to develop a roadmap for research to solve major engineering and technology challenges in ten technology domains relevant to India today (November 5, 2015) at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the second day of the Visitor’s Conference.

The idea of launching ‘IMPRINT India’ originated during the conference of Chairmen, Board of Governors and Directors of Indian Institutes of Technology convened by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 22, 2014. It is based on the Prime Minister’s suggestion that research done by institutions of national importance must be linked with immediate requirements of the society at large.

The objectives of this initiative is to (1) identify areas of immediate relevance to society requiring innovation, (2) direct scientific research into identified areas, (3) ensure higher funding support for research into these areas and (4) measure outcomes of the research effort with reference to impact on the standard of living in the rural/urban areas.

IMPRINT India will focus on ten themes with each to be coordinated by one IIT/IISc, namely

(a) Health Care - IIT Kharagpur,

(b) Computer Science and ICT – IIT Kharagpur,

(c) Advance Materials – IIT Kanpur,

(d) Water Resources and River systems – IIT Kanpur,

(e) Sustainable Urban Design – IIT Roorkee,

(f) Defence – IIT Madras,

(g) Manufacturing – IIT Madras,

(h) Nano-technology Hardware- IIT Bombay,

(i) Environmental Science and Climate Change – IISc, Bangalore and

(j) Energy Security – IIT Bombay.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said the outcomes of the previous conferences have given us the confidence that the institutes of higher learning, if they come together, can make a difference in a short span of time to higher education sector in our country. He called upon the academic leaders of institutes in social sector and humanities’ domain to formulate a similar joint initiative like ‘IMPRINT India’ for conducting research on themes of relevance to public policy-making.

The President saidit is necessary to develop in our students a scientific temper, which allows the flight of imagination beyond the realm of grades and classrooms. Promotion of research at the under-graduate level would assist such an objective. The link between progress and innovation is direct. History is witness to many nations low on resources emerging as advanced economies only on the strength of rapid technological development. India today stands within a striking distance of realizing the dreams of the founding fathers of our nation. Indian youth are second to none in entrepreneurship. India serves as the fastest growing start-up base worldwide and stands third with 4,200 start-ups, next only to US and UK. The government has initiated the ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ campaign to incentivize entrepreneurial ventures. Heads of institutes of higher learning must work towards creating an innovation and research network that will produce entrepreneurs and nurture innovations. The setting up of Innovation Clubs in over 60 Central institutions in the last two years is a good beginning for a platform where novel ideas can be nurtured and innovators mentored to develop new products.

The President said in response to the decision taken in the conference of vice chancellors of central universities in 2014, industry interface cells have been set up in many institutions. These cells are now lending vigour to activities like joint research, faculty exchange, and setting up of chairs and endowments. These cells can also interact closely with innovation incubators for monetizing ideas and research. The 45 MoUs signed with the industry yesterday takes to next level the partnership between industry and academia.

The President saidacademic institutions are an important stakeholder for the socio-economic development of the nation. He had earlier asked central universities and NITs to adopt at least five villages and transform them into model villages. He said he now extends his call to all the 114 central institutions. After identifying problems in the adopted villages, they must pool all academic and technical resources at their disposal to provide solutions that will enhance the quality of life of our countrymen. Some encouraging developments in the recent past are intensified exchange of faculty through formal arrangements with foreign institutions; removal of bottlenecks and simplification of procedures for filling up faculty positions and engagement of adjunct faculty and hiring of foreign experts through the Global Initiative for Academic Networks.

The President said the National Institutional Ranking Framework launched by the Ministry of HRD with an India-centric approach is a step in the right direction. This initiative should enable Indian institutes of higher learning to realize their potential and emerge as world-class institutions.

The President said the new education policy must alter the dynamics of the education sector and help us achieve the GER target of 30 percent by 2020, a goal we cannot afford to miss.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the IMPRINT India brochure and hand over the first copy to the President of India on the occasion. The Prime Minister and Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani also addressed the gathering.

MSP for Rabi Crops of 2015-16 season

MSP for Rabi Crops of 2015-16 season

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for Rabi Crops of 2015-16 Season to be Marketed in 2016-17. The decision is based on recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) for the Price Policy for Rabi Crops for the Marketing Season 2016-17.  CACP, which is an expert body,  takes into account the cost of production, overall demand-supply, domestic and international prices, inter-crop price parity, terms of trade between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, the likely effect of the Price Policy on the rest of economy, besides ensuring rational utilization of production resources like land and water, while recommending MSPs.

The CACP being the expert body, its recommendations are generally accepted as such.  However, in view of the gap in the demand and  domestic supply  of pulses, the Cabinet has decided to give a bonus of Rs.75/- per quintal for rabi pulses over and above the recommendations of the CACP.  This is expected to give a strong price signal to farmers to increase acreage and invest for increase in productivity of pulses.

 The Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all Rabi Crops of 2015-16 season to be marketed in 2016-17 have been increased and are given in table below: 

                                                                                          

Commodity	MSP for 2014-15 season	MSP for 2015-16 season	Increase in MSP over 2014-15		Bonus  *
	(Rs per  quintal)	(Rs per  quintal)	Absolute	%	(Rs per  quintal)
Wheat	1450	1525	75	5.2	-
Barley	1150	1225	75	6.5	-
Gram	3175	3425	250	7.9	75
Masur (Lentil)	3075	3325	250	8.1	75
Rapeseed/ Mustard	3100	3350	250	8.0	-
Safflower	3050	3300	250	8.2	-

    Note * Bonus on Rabi pulses is payable over and above the MSP                

The prices would be effective from the Rabi marketing season 2016-17. The higher MSPs would increase investment and production through assured remunerative prices to farmers.

The Cabinet also directed that in order to strengthen the procurement mechanism for pulses and oilseeds, Food Corporation of India (FCI) will be the Central Nodal Agency for procurement of pulses and oilseeds.  To supplement the efforts of FCI, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and Small Farmers Agri – Business Consortium (SFAC) may also undertake procurement of oilseeds and pulses as per their capacity.

 Besides increase in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of Rabi crops, Government has taken several other farmer friendly initiatives over the last one year.  These, inter-alia, include the following :

·         In the Kharif the Government of India had declared a bonus of Rs 200 per quintal over and above the MSPs of Kharif pulses for 2015-16 season.

·         A Scheme to issue Soil Health Card to every farmer has been introduced.  Soil health management in the country is being promoted through setting up of soil & fertilizer testing laboratories and implementation of organic farming.

                 

·         Government has also framed guidelines under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) to promote organic farming and develop potential market for organic products.

·         The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, has been launched with the objective of creating sources of assured irrigation.

·         A dedicated Kisan Channel has been started by the Doordarshan to address various issues concerning farmers.

·         Government has also created portal on crops insurance in order to keep farmers better informed.

·         An initiative is being taken to set up a National Agriculture Market (NAM).  This would enable farmers to overcome the impediments in marketing of agricultural produce and get better price discovery.  A common e-market platform is being created and would be provided free of cost to the States/UTs.

·         Government has taken steps to introduce electronic trading which will facilitate single license for trading in the whole States/country as well as single point levy of market fee.

·         Government is also encouraging formation of Farmer Producer Organisations.

·         To stabilize prices of pulses and onions, Government has imported pulses and onions under the Price Stabilisation Fund.

Regulate, don’t eliminate

A sudden and arbitrary ban on commercial surrogacy will hurt all the stakeholders in this multi-billion rupee industry,particularly children who are at the core of the issue.

The government of India’s proposed ban on commercial surrogacy is a rather ill-thought-out move that could have a disastrous effect on the flourishing surrogacy industry in India.

It is disastrous, not just because it will spell an end to the multi-crore industry, but because we are talking about the human lives which are at stake. Embryonic human lives, being gestated in the safe wombs of alternate mothers, could be in jeopardy if commercial surrogacy is suddenly and abruptly made illegal. What will then happen to the women who hired out their wombs? What if they are left holding babies they never wanted because the rules changed? What will happen to the hopes of the thousands of commissioning parents, who have paid lakhs of rupees or dollars on fertility packages? What if they cannot take their babies out of the country and India does not recognise the children?

Widespread impact

Gita Aravamudan

The consequences of such official action have been visible in other countries. Thailand, a popular destination for fertility tourism, suddenly clamped a ban on commercial surrogacy earlier this year, after a couple of disasters exposed its dark underbelly. The result was chaos. A number of surrogates in various stages of pregnancy were left in limbo. Intending parents did not know how to collect their babies. Consequently, the surrogacy industry got pushed underground.

And then there was a flourishing cross- border surrogate smuggling nexus between India and Nepal, which was exposed in the aftermath of the earthquake when Indian women, who had crossed the border carrying babies for gay Israeli couples, got stuck in Nepal with their unborn babies. Nepal has subsequently banned all commercial surrogacy.

Given that an arbitrary ban on surrogacy can be disastrous, can phasing out help? And should commercial surrogacy be phased out?

India has had time to think about these issues, as commercial surrogacy has been around for a couple of decades now. The first surrogate baby in India was born in 1994. The industry has since evolved, and today India offers some of the best fertility “packages’ in the world. Intending parents with a valid fertility visa can come to India and get their IVF procedures done, hire healthy surrogates, return home, and monitor the entire pregnancy from afar. They can also get proper exit visas to take the children home after they are born. Earlier, the agreements between intending parents and surrogates were oral and the latter were often underpaid and ill-treated. Today, there are proper contracts to ensure that neither party is cheated. In many of the bigger and better organised fertility clinics, the surrogates are housed in special homes, given proper diet, medical checkups and maintenance allowances.

The baby, when it is born, has the intending parents’ names on its birth certificate and the surrogate has no more claim or obligation to the child. The contract also ensures that the surrogate gets Rs. 4 to 8 lakh depending on the number of babies she is carrying. But of course, not everything is hunky dory. There are many cases of exploited or ill-used surrogates, cheated parents, unqualified doctors and unscrupulous agents, largely because India has been unable to pass a regulatory law. The Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART) Bill, first proposed in 2008, has gone through three avatars, but is yet to be tabled in Parliament. This proposed Bill covers several areas of concern, but needs updating and tweaking before it can be tabled. Even as the Bill is pending, it seems counterproductive to impose a ban on surrogacy without understanding the issues at stake.

Huge and unregulated

When I started writing my book Baby Makers: The Story of Indian Surrogacy in 2012, I had a very simple agenda. As a feminist and a writer, I wondered how a woman would feel if she had to rent another woman’s womb to carry her baby and how the woman who carried that baby would feel about it. Not an easy task, I found, as neither the surrogates nor the intending parents open up easily because they fear a social backlash. I also found that there were no proper statistics about the number of IVF clinics in India nor the number of surrogates. No one even knew what the actual turnover was. A United Nations-backed study said the industry had a turnover of $400 million, but many in the field said it was much higher. At present, the surrogacy business functions under the regulatory guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research. However, many of the fly-by-night clinics did not even bother about these guidelines.

People come to India for fertility tourism because it is cheaper or because it is unavailable in their own countries. Egg donation, which is legal in India, is banned in some countries. But in many East European countries it is big business. In India, an egg donor can get Rs. 25,000 every time she donates her eggs. This procedure too has to be carefully monitored and spaced. This is often not done because the more seedy clinics do not care about the health of the donor. Sometimes, the women themselves volunteer to donate more often because they are not aware of the dangers of ovarian hyperstimulation, and there are any number of unscrupulous “fertility experts” who are willing to oblige both commissioning parents and needy donors.

Today the minimal regulation on the fertility industry in India is obviously woefully inadequate. But any law which is put in place has to take into consideration the needs and aspirations of the various people involved in this business. Primarily there are the babies born through surrogacy whose citizenship and right to be protected by their biological parents is of primary importance.

At the bottom of the pecking order are the surrogates, who are in it because it is a means of livelihood. From their perspective, there is nothing morally or ethically wrong because the babies are conceived through “injection” (embryo implant) and not through sexual intercourse. They do sometimes get attached to the babies in their womb, but to them the money is more important and they are quick to move on after the birth of the child.

Some of the surrogates I spoke to proudly showed me their houses built from money they had earned through renting out their wombs. Many preferred foreign commissioning parents, as they paid better and gave better tips.

Some of the surrogates were poor, some middle class, some illiterate, some educated. They belonged to all communities… their need for money is what linked them. And as one woman pointed out, it was not wrong to want money for a better life and by renting out her womb, she was not hurting anyone as even her family supported her.

For the intending parents, surrogacy is a boon which gives them the child they never thought they could have. For this they are willing to pay any amount and go to any lengths to protect and nurture the surrogate carrying the baby for them. For the fertility specialists, this is the job they have been trained to do.

The problem lies with the bogus embryologists and doctors, the agents and touts who lure and cheat surrogates, as well as intending parents. They are the exploiters. Banning commercial surrogacy in India at this advanced stage will help no one. It will only create chaos and push the business underground. Banning is easy. Framing a proper law needs careful thought, good technical inputs and above all, political will.

Modi is world's 9th most powerful person: Forbes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked as the world’s ninth most powerful person by Forbes magazine in a 2015 list which is topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Modi was placed 14th in the 2014 Forbes list of world’s powerful people.

Forbes while releasing the list today at the same time said governing 1.2 billion people in India requires more than “shaking hands” and that Mr. Modi must pass his party BJP’s reform agenda and keep “fractious opposition” under control.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is at the second spot followed by US President Barack Obama (third) and Pope Francis (fourth) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (fifth).

Apart from Mr. Modi who is at the ninth position, others in the top ten are Microsoft Founder Bill Gates at the sixth place, US Federal Reserve Chairperson Janet Yellen (7), UK Prime Minister David Cameron (8) and Google’s Larry Page(10)

About Mr. Modi, the magazine said that India’s “populist” Prime Minister presided over 7.4 per cent GDP growth in his first year in office, and “raised his profile” as a global leader during official visits with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping.

“A barnstorming tour of Silicon Valley reinforced his nation’s massive importance in tech. But governing 1.2 billion people requires more than shaking hands: Now Modi must pass his party’s reform agenda and keep fractious opposition under control,” it said.

To compile the list of world’s most powerful people, the magazine said it considered hundreds of candidates from various walks of life all around the globe, and measured their power along four dimensions. They are whether the candidate has power over lots of people, financial resources controlled by each person, whether the candidate is powerful in multiple spheres and whether the candidates actively used their power.

Ayurveda Prakriti - The Three Doshas, have been Correlated with Genomic Structures in a Research Study

Ayurveda Prakriti - The Three Doshas, have been Correlated with Genomic Structures in a Research Study

A genome-wide study indicated certain correlation between Ayurvedic prakriti classifications with genomic diversity.  A study on the subject has been done by the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad a premier research organization of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research with the collaboration of other national research institutes.

A research team at the CCMB under the leadership of Dr. Thangaraj, has taken up the mega program. Well-trained Ayurvedic physicians screened about 3400 people and the same sets of people were also screened by software called AyuSoft developed by C-DAC, Bangalore. 

Ayurvedic physicians believe that there are three doshas or biological energies / humors found in the human body.  Ancient Indians believed that everything that we see is made up of five elements – Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.  Vata is related to elements of space and air; pittha is related to elements of fire and water and kapha is related to elements of water and earth.  Each individual would have different levels of these three doshas, hence the diversity.  However, each person can be classified, belonging to one or the other type, if one of the doshas predominates.

People whose Prakriti was in concurrence between the assessment by the Ayurvedic physician and by AyuSoft were recruited for the study.  Their blood samples were collected by respective participating labs. Isolation of DNA and genomic studies were carried out at CCMB using Affymetrix 6.0 SNP chip. This chip brings out single nucleotide difference in the genome among the tested samples.  When the data is plotted, interestingly they fell into three groups, establishing the molecular basis for ancient classification. 

Whether such phenotypic classification has any molecular basis has been a matter of debate for some time.  A few groups attempted to answer this question and found some correlation when they looked at one or two specific genes.  However, the association of genomic variations with prakriti classification was lacking.

This is the first genome-wide study to establish such correlation between Ayurvedic prakriti classifications with genomic diversity.  Analysis of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) revealed that about 52 genes might be responsible for specifying the individual's doshas or prakritis.  Dr. Thangaraj and his group has taken this study further and attempted to see if the samples collected randomly, without any information on their prakriti, would also fall into three groups after the analysis based on the 52 SNPs, which appear to be important.

Director-CCMB Dr. Ch. Mohan Rao said that this study would help to identify the prakriti of a person based on her/his genome. “This is a major breakthrough linking our ancient wisdom with modern science”. He also said that this work will inspire many more such studies. These studies should eventually lead to establishing Ayurveda on sound footing along with modern medicine.

These studies were recently published in an Open Access Journal, Science Reports, of Nature group of publications. It can be accessed at: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep15786