Prime minister calls for a pulses revolution

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon farmers to raise the level of production of pulses in the country, in order to help make India self-sufficient in pulses. Invoking former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's call Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Modi asked every farmer to try and grow pulses on a part of his land.

Speaking after the foundation laying of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) at Barhi in Jharkhand today, he said pulses formed an important part of the diet of the common man.

Modi also said there was a need for a second green revolution, especially, in eastern India, which was not part of the earlier green revolution.

He said Indian agriculture has been lagging in several areas including inputs, irrigation, value addition and market linkages and his government was committed to modernising the sector and making it more productive.

"We have seen the first Green Revolution but it happened several years ago. Now, it is the demand of time that there should be second Green Revolution without any delay. And where is it possible? It is possible in eastern UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Odhisa," Modi said while laying foundation stone of the second IARI.

"That is why the government is focusing on the development of this area. For that we have started this research institute," Prime Minister Modi said on Sunday.

He said urea plants in this area had been closed and a decision had been taken to reopen them as farmers would need fertilizer.

He said that the union government was therefore committed to the development of this region. The prime minister further said that animal husbandry and fisheries were equally important for the agriculture sector. He further added that the government has decided to pay special attention to the dairy sector in Jharkhand.

Welcoming the prime minister, union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said the setting up a second IARI in Jharkhand on the lines of IARI, Pusa, will help in meeting the challenges in the field of agriculture in the state in a scientific manner.

The institute would help in developing this economic zone in a scientific manner.

The minister added that the announcement of setting up of a second IARI in the country was made in the general budget of the year 2014-2015.

He also congratulated the state government of Jharkhand for identify the land for the second IARI and completing the process in a year's time.