On 8th August, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) approved a sum of Rs. 110 crores to set up a Technical Innovation Hub (TIH) at IIT Ropar, Punjab. The research will mainly focus on the domain of Agriculture & Water Technology Development Hub (AWaDH).
What are the objectives?
The premier engineering institute said that the innovation centre is aimed to bring solutions for stubble management, water quality improvement, mapping of hazardous substances in water and soil, and their treatment. The prime objective of this hub is to make agriculture a profitable industry with highly optimised resource intake.
Why is it needed?
India has been sorely missing out on technological progress in the field of agriculture. The majority of the population relies on farming as their primary source of income. However, the methods remain fairly primitive. Our farmers remain devoid of help from the benefits of research in this field. Things like testing soil quality, mapping of field, irrigation management and other modern farming techniques have simply not made it to a simple rural farmer in India. With decreasing yields and increasing farmer suicides each year, this investment in research is a step in the right direction to modernise Indian agriculture.
What the team has to say:
According to IIT Ropar Director Sarit K Das, this novel mission by the Government of India will help the agriculture and water sector in the country by exposing it to cutting edge research. "Unfortunately, along with the success of the green revolution in India, the quality of soil and water and overall agricultural environment suffered degradation due to the excessive use of fertilisers, water and pesticides in order to grow more per hectare," hub coordinator Pushpendra P Singh said.
How will they proceed?
The institute will develop technologies and agricultural practices which can improve the yield and minimise the hazardous substances. To achieve the goal, the team will connect with farmers, listen to their problems and come up with viable, technology-based economic solutions.