Scientific solution needed to increase crop yield: PM

Modi asks scientists to work on increasing production of vegetables to not only address domestic needs, but also for exports

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked the research community to come up with a scientific solution to increase crop yield keeping in mind the shrinking land and water resources and stressed the need for bringing in "right" stakeholders so that the benefit of technology can reach the common man.

He also emphasised on pursuing the goal of "time-bound delivery" of research projects to make their fruits available to the masses.

"Now that we are in the 75th year...We take forward the single point agenda of time-bound delivery," the Prime Minister said at CSIR's Platinum Jubilee event here.

Referring to the water and land shortage, he said, "I have always said per drop more crop. We must also think about an inch of land and a bunch of crops.

Modi, who is also the President of CSIR, asked the scientists to work on increasing the production of vegetables to not only address domestic needs, but also for exports.

The Prime Minister exhorted scientists to undertake "innovative research" especially in areas of health care, agriculture, water resources, waste management and the cleaning of the Ganga.

Emphasising the need to have ease of doing 'Technology Business', he asked CSIR to "bring in right stakeholders so that the benefit of technology can reach the common man".

"A technology is considered successful if it benefits the common man. At times we invent something, but the common man is unaware of it. Can it be modified by as per the needs of the common man?" the PM asked.

He asked CSIR to explore new areas like sports research and manufacturing mobile batteries with longer life.

The Prime Minister also underlined the need for creating a value chain among research institutes, industry, NGOs, service providers and consumers.

He proposed channelising research funds in a "more effective way" and asked the Ministry to create a website on which all research grants and the work undertaken by scientists in different laboratories could be listed.

This will, he said, ensure that there is no duplicity in research, which can save both time and money.

Modi said the government intends to double the farmers income by 2022 for which he asked the scientists to develop some new varieties of crops.

"If you can develop varieties of dal, then it can be used in rain-fed areas and give a boost to production. It will also help to address the shortage of proteins in the body," he said.

The Prime Minister said the 21st century is a technology driven century and "it is important to connect science with the common citizens in this century".