Agro-Met Units in Kodagu, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara to shut operations from Feb. 29

Kushalnagar:  Dealing a huge blow to Niti Aayog’s advice on growing climate-based crops, the Centre has decided to shut down the District Agro-Met Units (DAMUs) in Kodagu, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara. The reason attributed for the closure is reportedly a fund crunch.

 These Agro-Met Units provided vital agrometeorological advisory services to thousands of agricultural workers and farmers. Effective March 1, 2024, the Union Government’s directive to cease operations after Feb. 29 will leave farmers without this crucial support.

A flagship initiative 

The Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva (GKMS) scheme is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), dedicated to providing weather-related services crucial for farmers’ decision-making in day-to-day agricultural operations.

This collaborative effort between the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) led to the establishment of 200 District Agro-Met Units (DAMUs) across India in 2018-19. With continuous advancements in observational networks and forecasting technologies, the Agro-Met Advisory Service (AAS) network was expanded to the sub-district / block level.

This expansion is facilitated through the establishment of District Agro-Met Units (DAMUs) within the premises of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) operated by ICAR and State Universities, facilitated by Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs). 

In Karnataka, 10 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) have Agro-Met Units (Ballari, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Kolar, Koppal, Mandya (VC Farm), Ramanagara, Tumakuru and Yadgir) and they will cease operations from Feb. 29, affecting a total of 199 units nationwide. Consequently, 398 staff members employed in these units will lose their jobs.

 WhatsApp groups

These units played a critical role in disseminating agrometeorological advisories to district and block-level farmers via WhatsApp groups, offering essential guidance on agricultural practices. For instance, the Agro-Met Unit at Gonikoppal in Kodagu has over 30 WhatsApp groups and 10,000 farmers  are participants. 

The unit provides localised information about the weather forecast and even functions as a call centre where the staff answer all the questions posed by farmers and growers on paddy, coffee, black pepper, ginger, arecanut and orange cultivation. Advisories were also sent about livestock maintenance. 

Weather summary report, temperature, humidity and rainfall forecast data is disseminated every Tuesday and Friday. These weather bulletins are also accessible to farmers through the Meghdooth app.

Significant risk to farmers

The closure of these Agro-Met Units poses a significant risk to farmers who rely on these advisories for their day-to-day agricultural activities. Moreover, the absence of such forecast could lead to substantial losses for farmers, particularly in regions prone to weather-related challenges like landslides and flash floods.

The Agro-Met Unit at Gonikoppal in Kodagu was set up as the district receives the highest rainfall and the patterns are different in each of the five taluks. Also, farmers need localised information to plan their crops, harvest, irrigation, remove weeds, dry and do other activities. Apart from weekly reports, daily alerts are supplied by this Agro-Met Unit in case of sudden developments in weather.  

The advisory services are crucial for coffee growers, as they offer forecasts up to five days in advance and accurately predict heavy rainfall three hours beforehand. These alerts were not only beneficial to farmers but also served as essential tools for the district administration.

Authorities utilised this information to initiate actions such as evacuating people from flood-prone areas and implementing preventive measures. Additionally, these forecasts facilitated timely decisions by local authorities, including school closures, to mitigate the impact of adverse weather conditions.

No local but only district-level advisories from March 1

With the discontinuation of these Agro-Met Units, the responsibility for local forecasting now rests heavily on automatic field units like the Agro-Meteorological Field Unit (AMFU) at the Organic Farming Research Station in Naganahalli (OFRSN), Mysuru or the existing KVKs. 

However, these units may only cover districts rather than the smaller administrative units like taluks and blocks, as done by the Agro-Met Units. Farmers are worried that district-level advisories may not adequately address the specific needs of all areas, leaving certain regions without sufficient guidance for their agricultural activities. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore, S.K. Chengappa, Agro-Met Observer at ICAR-KVK in Gonikoppal, Kodagu, expressed deep concern over the closure of Agro-Met Units, emphasising the substantial loss incurred by farmers and horticultural communities. 

He highlighted the efficiency and structured approach of the Agro-Met Units, with plans underway to extend their reach to the Gram Panchayat level. He said that while farmers may still access district-level information starting March 1, the absence of localised, taluk-level and village-level information will create a significant gap in essential agricultural guidance.

“As of now, we do not have staff or resources to continue the Agro-Met Unit. Will have to see how to continue the local farmers’ assistance,” said Virendra Kumar, a scientist at ICAR-KVK in Gonikoppal.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Government of India NITI Aayog Sub-Advisor Muniraju held a progress review meeting on education of tribal children, at Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Bhavan on Valmiki Road in Paduvarahalli here yesterday.

Muniraju sought inputs on the quantum of success achieved in the  implementation of all Central Welfare Schemes for tribals and education of tribal children living in hamlets. Muniraju directed the officials to take more measures for betterment of lives of the tribal population and also to ensure that tribal children are not deprived of education for any reason. He also instructed for effective implementation of revised Tribal Welfare Schemes. Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute (KSTRI) Director Rajesh Gowda, Research Officer Shivakumar, PCO Prabha Urs, Valmiki Development Corporation District Manager M.K. Mallesh, Taluk Welfare Officers Basavaraju, Siddegowda, Narayanaswamy and others were present.

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New Delhi: NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) had organised the fifth edition of the Women Transforming India Awards (WTI) here on Mar.21.

This year, as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence, the WTI Awards were conferred on 75 women achievers to celebrate their contribution towards a ‘Sashakt Aur Samarth Bharat’.

In a show of solidarity and alliance, the Awards were given away by an equally exceptional group of women — Kiran Bedi, former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry; Lakshmi Puri, former Assistant Secretary-General of UN; Dr. Tessy Thomas, Director-General of Aeronautical Systems, DRDO; Arundhati Bhattacharya, former Chairperson of State Bank of India; Debjani Ghosh, President of NASSCOM; Ila Arun, acclaimed singer; Salma Sultan, former news anchor at DD; Dr. Sangeeta Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals; and Shivani Malik, Managing Director of Da Milano Leathers.

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Kailash Kher, who has written, composed and lent his voice to the WEP anthem, were present at the event.

WTI Awards-21 were presented in the following seven categories: Public and Community Service; Manufacturing Sector; Non-manufacturing Sector; Financial Products enabling Economic Growth; Climate Action; Promote Art, Culture and Handicrafts; Digital Innovation.

The 75 awardees represented different regions and sectors and were selected through an elaborate process spanning several months.

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To strengthen monitoring and evaluation of Govt. policies

Mysuru: Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), a leading research and public engagement organisation, inked a Statement of Intent (SoI) with the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, for strategic and technical collaboration to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of Government policies and programmes in India.

The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Dr. Sekhar Bonu, Director General, DMEO, Alok Mishra, Deputy Director General, DMEO, NITI Aayog officials and  GRAAM’s Chairman Dr. R. Balasubramaniam along with other staff in New Delhi recently. The memorandum on behalf of GRAAM was signed by its Executive Director Dr. Basavaraju R. Shreshta.

Dr. Balasubramaniam said, “Evaluation agencies play a critical role in implementing data driven programmes and undertaking policy evaluations with focus on quality and standard of the programmes. There is a need to strengthen and encourage them further.” GRAAM will provide technical assistance to DMEO in preparation of technical and/or policy documents, conduct joint studies, and facilitate capacity building programmes on monitoring and evaluation of Government policies and programmes for public officials at the Centre and States, local researchers, regional institutions and other stakeholders.

“We are privileged to partner with DMEO of NITI Aayog as we consider this partnership to reach grassroots voices, realities and experience blended with scientific research to the policy makers and there cannot be better platform than NITI Aayog. Community Engagement is key to not only understand the problem, but also design solutions,” said Dr. Basavaraju.

Dr. Bonu spoke about DMEO’s plans for working with States for strengthening M&E ecosystem. He appreciated the steps taken by Karnataka Government for a State-level Evaluation Authority. 

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Karnataka ranks third with three other States

New Delhi: Kerala has retained the top spot while Bihar is at the bottom of NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2020-21 which was released on Thursday.

While Kerala retained the top spot with a score of 75, both Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are at the second rank with a score of 74 and Karnataka (72) stood third along with few other States. Assam (57), Jharkhand (56) and Bihar (52) are the worst-performing States this year.

First launched in December 2018, the index has become the primary tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs in the country and has simultaneously fostered competition among the states and Union Territories (UTs) by ranking them on the Global Goals.

NITI Aayog has the twin mandate to oversee the adoption and monitoring of the SDGs in the country and also promote competitive and cooperative federalism among the States.

The index represents the articulation of the comprehensive nature of the Global Goals under the 2030 Agenda while being attuned to the national priorities. The modular nature of the index has become a policy tool and a ready reckoner for gauging progress of States on the expansive nature of goals including health, education, gender, economic growth, institutions, climate change and environment.

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar launched the report titled, SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020-21: Partnerships in the Decade of Action, in the presence of Dr. Vinod Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog and Sanyukta Samaddar, Adviser (SDGs), NITI Aayog.

“Our effort of monitoring SDGs through the SDG India Index & Dashboard continues to be widely noticed and applauded around the world. It remains a rare data-driven initiative to rank our States and Union Territories by computing a composite index on the SDGs. We are confident that it will remain a matter of aspiration and emulation and help propel monitoring efforts at the international level,” Dr. Kumar said during the launch.

With one-third of the journey towards achieving the 2030 Agenda behind us, this edition of the index report focuses on the significance of partnerships as its theme, he added. 

Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said: “The report reflects on the partnerships we have built and strengthened during our SDG efforts. The narrative throws light on how collaborative initiatives can result in better outcomes and greater impacts.”

On the theme of partnerships which is central to Goal 17, Dr.  Paul said, “It is clear that by working together we can build a more resilient and sustainable future, where no one is left behind.”

“From covering 13 Goals with 62 indicators in its first edition in 2018, the third edition covers 16 Goals on 115 quantitative indicators, with a qualitative assessment on Goal 17, thereby reflecting our continuous efforts towards refining this important tool,” said Samaddar, Adviser (SDGs), NITI Aayog.

The Index, developed in collaboration with the United Nations in India, measures the progress at the national and sub-national level in the country’s journey towards meeting the Global Goals and targets and has been successful as an advocacy tool to propagate the messages of sustainability, resilience, and partnerships, as well. 

From covering 13 Goals, 39 targets and 62 indicators in the first edition in 2018-19 to 17 Goals, 54 targets and 100 indicators in the second; this third edition of the index covers 17 Goals, 70 targets and 115 indicators.

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Mysore/Mysuru: As a countrywide lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of Coronavirus, many noble people stepped forward to help and feed the distressed public. But a city-based lecturer displayed her Good Samaritan spirit by feeding stray dogs and not let them starve at the time when these speechless creatures are left with no source of food.

The lecturer Nivedita Harini stepped up in the time of adversity by helping the canines on the streets and her work has attracted the appreciation of NITI Aayog that has tweeted her noble work on its official Twitter handle and said “Not all heroes wear capes. Some feed the strays.” The tweet came after Nivedita completed feeding 3,000 stray dogs. She went on to feed 4,621 strays for over 54 days.

Nivedita teaches Chemistry at Sharada Vidya Mandira and she donned the role of a Corona Warrior to feed the strays. She joined hands with Mysuru District Administration, Information and Publicity Department, Indian Red Cross Society and has accomplished this feat that has gained her national recognition.

Dogs she loved very much and wanted to feed them daily. This made her apply voluntarily when the Information and Publicity Department Director and senior IAS Officer P. Manivannan called for volunteers for social service including feeding the strays. Every day, Nivedita used to feed the dogs for over four hours across the city after preparing milk and protein-mixed food and also purchased pedigree from her contacts to feed the strays. Two hours in her day during lockdown used to go in preparing food and another two hours used to be spent going around the city.

She did not miss even a single day. She fed them on alternate days after the lockdown was lifted when the strays had something to eat. “During initial days of COVID-19 spread, there was a misinformation campaign that pets and strays will cause the virus to spread. I was heart-broken and only later it was clarified that they don’t spread the virus. I took on the mission to feed the dogs and I am glad that I was able to be of service to the speechless beings,” she told ‘Star of Mysore.’

“Usually street animals depend on roadside eateries and volunteers who regularly look after them. The lockdown prevented this. I noticed the dogs hanging about in anticipation of food whenever people pass by. They had become all skin and bones. This moved me and I took a plunge,” she said.

Nivedita began feeding a pack of dogs near her home and soon decided to find more hungry dogs and feed them. She travelled across the city with food containers and fed the hungry lot. She dipped into the sums she had saved. Later, help poured in once her noble act was noticed. “Savitha Nagabhushan of People For Animals (PFA) helped me get pedigree and later many volunteers, my friends and colleagues pitched in with rice and dog food,” she said.

Every day, she used to follow one route – Chamundipuram, Ittigegud, Dasara Exhibition Grounds, Circus Grounds, Nazarbad and Vishweshwaranagar Industrial suburb. “Initially, the dogs never used to come when I offered food. It took some days to gain their trust. Later when I went near them, they used to come running for food,” Nivedita revealed.

Post-lockdown, even when the hotels and restaurants were opened, she continued to feed strays every alternate day. Now she is taking the same route every Sunday. “I am planning to continue this and I have no intention of stopping it though I am digging into my savings,” she vowed.  

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New Delhi: The Union Government is likely to pay an annual premium of less than Rs.1,200 per family for the ambitious National Health Protection Scheme, for which approximately Rs.12,000 crore is required every year.

For 2018-19, the Government has made an initial provision of Rs.2,000 crore and an extra Rs.800 crore is expected from the States, when they join the scheme.

Some money is also expected from the enhanced health and education cess. Taken together, the resources are adequate to launch the scheme, most probably on Oct.2, say Government officials.

The NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog is working towards a launch on Independence Day of the Government’s latest flagship National Health Protection Scheme, which was announced in the Union Budget Thursday.

Top officials in the Aayog said that Gandhi Jayanti, on Oct.2, was the “upper limit” deadline for the formal launch while the full-scale roll out, subject to the pace of work by States, is expected to take place in about one-and-a-half years. Consultations with States are expected to start next week.

“Gandhi Jayanti is the latest by which the scheme will be launched. We, in fact, are working towards an Independence Day launch. We are ready. Work has been going on for very long now,” said NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr. V.K. Paul.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, the scheme, dubbed as the world’s biggest health cover plan that provides medical insurance to 50 crore individuals, would be cashless and not a reimbursement scheme.

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New Delhi: The heritage city of Mysuru has been chosen as one of the cities to implement the new policy of the NITI Aayog to change the face of country’s public transport by introducing electric vehicles.

Under the new policy, Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh had already begun tests for using electric vehicles for public transport.

Five cities, namely Bengaluru and Mysuru in Karnataka, Amaravati, Kakinada and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, have been selected for the implementation of the new policy. However, only one or two of them may be selected in the final round.

Among the cities being considered, Amaravati and Mysuru may be best suited for the proposal. Amaravati, a completely new city being built in the vicinity of Vijayawada, can be a city with electric public transport vehicles right from the start. Mysuru, on the other hand, is a relatively traffic-free city that has a reasonably well-implemented Intelligent Transit System for vehicle tracking, the NITI Aayog felt.

Electric buses may not be able to cope with the congestion in larger cities such as Bengaluru and Delhi, and need to be first introduced in cities with lesser traffic.

Meanwhile, in a related development, the Centre has taken a giant step to introduce electric vehicles or e-vehicles throughout the country by 2032, replacing the petrol  and diesel vehicles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has initiated this policy which the NITI [National Institution for Transforming India] Aayog has taken up. A draft policy has already been drafted under the e-Vehicle plan and several points have been proposed under this policy. This 90-page report has already been accessed by the media.

Battery Centres

It is proposed that taxes and interest will be reduced on e-vehicles. The Aayog has recommended that on the lines of petrol and diesel bunks, battery centres should be opened and by 2018 itself such centres are likely to come up.

It has also been suggested to open battery charging centres in the existing petrol bunks to get the cars charged . This new policy is likely to bring tremendous changes in the local and globalised atmosphere, the NITI Aayog has suggested in the draft proposal.

KSRTC DC reacts

The KSRTC City Divisional Controller Dr. K. Ramamurthy, speaking to Star of Mysore said that in the budget proposal presented this year, the State Government had  earmarked Rs. 100 crore for the e-buses each costing Rs. 1 crore.

These buses, if introduced in Mysuru, would definitely help in bringing down noise, sound and air pollution largely.

“Though the investment on such vehicles (Volvo buses which the government plans to purchase) will be costly, in the long run it will be cheaper. However, the battery has to be replaced every two years,” he said and added “the KSRTC Mysuru division has no problem to introduce the vehicles, if the permission is given.”

DCP (Traffic) N. Rudramuni said this concept was good idea but he was still not aware of the plans to introduce the e-buses.

“It is good for the nation as the use of fossil fuel will come down. We will have to introduce charging stations in our bunks also and in the long run it will help in keeping the environment clean,” said S.K. Dinesh, Honorary President of Petroleum Dealers Association, Mysuru.

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