CIFRI Awards
To commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Bapu Mahatma Gandhi, ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore organized 150th Gandhi Jayanti saptah from 26th September to 2nd October 2020 with wide array of different programmes. On 26 september, 2020, Swachh Bharat programme was undertaken by cleaning the neighborhood slum areas, bleaching powder application at Dui Poisa Ghat and distribution of masks and sanitizer to the slum dwellers by the Director and other officers of ICAR-CIFRI. On 27 and 28 October, 2020 painiting competition was organized where school children and staff members participated. On 29 September, 2020 virtual capacity building programme on” Knowledge empowerment of youth on inland fisheries management: A way towards Atmanirbhar Bharat” was organized for rural youth. On 30 September 2020, lead lecture by Prof. Shankar Kumar Acharya on “Relevance of Gandhian Philosophy on Agriculture” was organized. On 1st October, Webinar on Women empowerment was organized with lectures by Nikita Gopal, Dr. Nandini Salaria, IFS, and Archana Kak Kumar and panel discussion.
The weeklong celebration was culminated on the 151th Birth Anniversary of Bapu on 2nd October 2020 with Webinar cum stakeholders meet on “Reinventing Gandhian Philosophy in improving fishers’ livelihood”. More than 300 fishers from Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and North Eastern states of India participated in this programme through virtual platform.
Dr. B. K. Das, Director, ICAR-CIFRI welcomed the guests and participants and briefed about the seven days activities carried out by the institute during the “150th Gandhi Jayanti Saptah” celebration. He stressed on the need to reinvent Gandhian philosophy of self-reliant rural India for doubling the farmers’ income and enhancing rural livelihood and prosperity. He said that during covid times, we remain in contact with fishers in the all the regions of India. We provided all kinds of help during these difficult times.
Dr. V. V. Sugunan, Ex ADG (Inland Fisheries), ICAR in his address said that Gandhi ji worked for the downtrodden and poor people. He praised ICAR-CIFRI work and said that today institute is working in that direction only
Dr. Dilip Kumar, Former Director & VC, ICAR-CIFE said that India is proud that Mahatma Gandhi was born in India and his philosophy on Satyagraha and Ahimsa has been accepted allover world. Gandhi ji work on self-reliant rural India includes agriculture development, Khadi and home for rural masses. He popularized khadi to make rural India self-sufficient and not dependent on foreign cloths. Government of India has initiated MNREGS, Swacch Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat to fulfill the Gandhi ji words.
Fishers, fisherman Cooperative society members and farmer entrepreneurs from states of Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat participated and give their opinion on how CIFRI and its technologies has helped them in enhancing their livelihood. Fishers from East Champran Bihar said that through CIFRI efforts employment from fisheries has increased from 100 days three year back to 200 days plus in their wetland. Fishers from Sundarbans and South Bengal thanked CIFRI for effort and help provided during the difficult time of COVID pandemic and super cyclone Amphan destruction.
Dr. J. K. Jena, DDG (Fisheries Science), ICAR and chief guest in his address to the august gathering greets everyone on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi birthday. He said for Bapu, India lives in its 7.5 lakh villages, if village perish, then India will perish. He stressed that in last seven decades, we have become self-reliant. Our dependence on import of food grains from outside world has completely stopped and India is producing food grains, horticultural crops more than it can store. Today India we have problem of plenty. We do not have storage and processing facility to store crop produce. During COVID, when all other sectors have declined, agriculture sector has provided growth. He said that under PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, fisheries institutes will work with state fisheries department for the development of fisheries. He emphasized that fisheries sector will continue its growth momentum with quality of produce.
Dr. A. K. Das, Principal scientist and In-Charge, extension and training cell proposed the Vote of thanks.
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