RSS bats for ancient agriculture methods, seeks its inclusion in school curriculum

“The contribution of Indian knowledge system in Indian agriculture, our ancient methods of agriculture should be part of the curriculum in higher education, especially in agriculture studies. Whether questions related to it are included in the examination papers or not is not the issue but the students must study and know about our practices,” said Dattatreya Hosabale.

New Delhi: The RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said that the study of ancient agriculture of India should be part of the curriculum in the studies of agriculture today. Senior RSS functionary was addressing the valedictory function of International Conference on ‘Harnessing Indian Agriculture for Indigenous and Global Prosperity’ organised by Bhartiya Kisan Sangh and Bharat Agro-Economic Reserve Center (BAERC) in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research in New Delhi.

“The contribution of Indian knowledge system in Indian agriculture, our ancient methods of agriculture should be part of the curriculum in higher education, especially in agriculture studies. Whether questions related to it are included in the examinations papers or not is not the issue but the students must study and know about our practices,” said the RSS leader.

Emphasizing the need to increase productivity in agriculture, Hosabale said that in the coming days, fertile land might decrease and cultivable land could get truncated, so we should focus on producing abundantly and using judiciously so that we can feed the world. During the two-day conference, the achievements of India in the agriculture sector were also discussed and the fact that India has become not only self-dependent on food grains but also exporting to other countries was appreciated by all the speakers.

"After the 1965 war, when Shashtri Ji was Prine Minister, we had to give up the captured land because we were dependent for our food requirements on other countries so there was pressure. From there we have come to a point where we are self-dependent and exporting too. This is an inspiring example for all and we should be proud of and thank our farmers, scientists, governments, people, and whoever contributed to this achievement,” said Hosabale.

He further said that the social status of farmers must rise and they should be seen with respect. He appreciated the government’s efforts to double the farmers' income and said that increasing incomes do contribute to the increase in social status but farmers should be respected despite their low income. Expressing concern over the migration of rural populations towards urban areas, the RSS leader urged for technology and agri-based industries in the rural areas so that the migration could be stopped.

Apart from productivity in agriculture, Hosabale also pressed on the need to produce nutritional food for all so that the malnutrition gap in the country should be filled.