R&D centres are 'temples of second Green Revolution': Badal

Modern centres of research and development are the "temples of second Green Revolution" which can bail out Punjab farmers from the current "agrarian crisis", Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today.
The veteran Akali leader laid stress on setting up more modern centres of excellence for undertaking Research and Development to promote agriculture diversification in state.
"These are the 'Temples of Second Green Revolution' which are required for bailing out farmers from current agrarian crisis," Badal said after inaugurating the Centre of Excellence for Vegetable (CEV) here.
The Chief Minister said it was a historic day for the entire Punjab as a new chapter for the growth and prosperity of the state has been initiated.

He said that though the farmers of the state had played a vanguard role in making the country self-reliant in food production but "due to the wrong policies of the Union government they were on the verge of economic disaster".
Badal said that the massive hike in cost of agricultural inputs coupled with the non remunerative MSP has broken the back of the farmers due to which there was dire need for adopting crop diversification in state.

The chief minister said that in the current scenario these centres of excellence would play a vanguard role not only in saving the already exhausted natural resources of the state but would also be instrumental in ensuring the all-round development of the state and prosperity of its farmers.

Badal said that the ultra-modern techniques used in such centres would acquaint the farmers with the global technology being used in the field of agriculture and will update their expertise for making sure that they reap maximum profits from the diversification of agriculture.
Badal said that the state government was leaving no stone unturned to ensure that more and more such centres were opened in the state for the larger interests of the farmers.
He said that special thrust was being laid on promoting the cultivation of vegetables and citrus fruits through them.
Badal said that Israel and Punjab sheared strong ties.

He exhorted the Ambassador of Israel Alon Ushpiz to support the state government for opening more such centres in Punjab so that the farmers could be benefit from it.