Village resource centres boon to rural people: U R Rao

Mysore, Nov 6 : Renowned space scientist and Chairman of Physical Research Laboratory Council Prof U R Rao today said the space department has set up over 400 village resource centres connected to well-equipped knowledge centres from where people in rural areas can obtain necessary assistance and information.

Speaking at the second Graduates’ Day of JSS College of Arts, Commerece and Science here he said with the help of science and technology, the problems of food, economic, energy and environmental security for the country could be successfully tackled, if only one improves Governance and weeds out corruption.

Stating that the only practical way of ensuring food security for all in the coming decades was through the initiation of a new 'Evergreen Revolution', based on sustainable development practices and application of knowledge-based third wave revolution in agriculture.

This would demand adoption of biofood grain genome, high yielding cultivors, integrated pest management strategy and extensive application of space technology to monitor and manage soil, water, crop production and precision farming methods, using space based geographic information systems, he said.

Mr Rao said Indian software industry has emerged as the fastest growing economic sector from a modest 150 million dollars 15 years ago to about 75 billion dollars, about 65 percent of which was from exports. Close on the heels, IT and bio-technology have become the 'new pulse and the buzz,' with its revenue expected to reach one billion dollars in the next few years. In a few manufacturing areas such as steel, automobile, and pharmaceutical sectors. India has become globally competitive since its decision to place greater reliance on indigeneous machinery, equipment and technical know-how, he said.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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