Involve national rural jobs guarantee scheme for encouraging millet production

Reproduced below is a letter by Paryavaran Mitra’s Mahesh Pandya to Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Government of India, suggesting for advancement of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNRGS) by encouraging millet production: Paryavaran Mitra, an Ahmedabad-based NGO, as the environ-legal unit of Janvikas, was initiated in 1997 on environmental issues that have an impact on the human rights of people, especially marginalized communities.
Towards this, Paryavaran Mitra’s approach has been to monitor implementation of environmental law meant for industries and take up issues of human rights and injustice caused by industrial and government development projects, policy advocacy and creating awareness and building capacities of local organizations and community-based leaders.
We have actively listened to the Prime Minister’s debate and views about NREGS in Parliament especially on March 3, 2015 in Lower House of Parliament. As per government record and as illustrated in his speech only 6.35% have got employment in year 2013-2014. He has aptly highlighted the lacunae and missing links in NREGS.
We are convinced that the government shall take steps to plug those gaps and shall work towards compliance to the Act; we would like to propose following suggestions:
Dovetail Millet cultivation with MNERGA
As per Annual Report 2013-2014 published by Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and Report “State of Indian Agriculture 2012-2013” millet acreage and arable land has gown down. As you are aware, millet is important source of Protein and plays crucial role malnutrition containment. It is also used as key ingredient in Mid Day Meal. Some states have provisioned millet distribution via PDS. Millet being drought and climate change resilient and resistant crop will help in accomplishing goals of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture.
Thus we suggest government to include millet cultivation as employment under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). It shall enable to

Increase millet production and reduce import
Self sustainability and reliance to Indian farmers
Arrest malnutrition and hunger
Relatively assured and continuous source of income to Marginal farmers

Biodiversity and NREGS
The Indian Biodiversity Act, 2002 has enabled People Biodiversity Register to realize biodiversity at local self-government level, states and the whole country. Identification of biological resources and documentation is one of the prerequisites of the register preparation which can lead to new discoveries and development of new commercial products, patenting of such products, equitable distribution of benefits, if any, and through this, paving the way for a new economic order in the country through biodiversity conservation.
This activity has not been able to achieve its desired goals. We therefore suggest to include creating, maintaining and updating of the People Biodiversity Register for employment under NREGS. This will enable government to achieve following

Strengthen traditional knowledge and support grass root innovation
Ensure that MNCs do not collude and conniving and do not benefit from Local innovation
Provide one stop solution for Biodiversity registry
Livelihood and job to local people who shall act as messenger of Biodiversity and help in creating awareness

We request you to look into these suggestions for cherishing of aims and objective of MNERGA. We are willing to help you to our fullest capacity towards furtherance of this cause. We shall also be available for personal discussion any time.

Comments

Civil society flags widespread violations of land acquisition Act before Parliamentary panel

By Jag Jivan Civil society organisations and stakeholders from across India have presented stark evidence before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj , alleging systemic violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 , particularly in Scheduled Areas and tribal regions.

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

Search This Blog