SUNDAY FOCUS

Outbreak of Novel Coronavirus has affected almost every aspect of our lives. The nationwide lockdown resulted in shutting down of industries, factories, public transport, private and corporate offices. Everyone wants to live safely with their loved ones and spend a happy time with them amid this lockdown. These times have inspired the folks to stand as one and help the people around them. The fight against corona has been a tough one, the virus is spreading rapidly. It spreads through direct and indirect physical contact, so the principle of social distancing was introduced in the world to break the chain and get a victory over the virus.

This pandemic has left people around the globe terrified. We all have seen people fearing it, even if a person sneezes, people move away from him. Every sneeze, every fever is not corona, but the fear of it has set its roots so deep in people’s minds that they have started doubting everyone. Doubting is not completely wrong, after all, safety is what matters the most; but to ensure safety, shredding off humanity is nowhere right. Even in situations like these, some professionals like doctors and healthcare staff, police officials, bank employees, and other government employees are still going out and working. Doctors and healthcare workers are battling the war against the virus from the front. They are standing tall with all they have. They, without any fear, are treating the corona patients.

Social media is arguably one of the most influential technological (and social) developments of the 21st century. It is perhaps the very reason you stumbled upon this article. Social media has impacted every aspect of life in the last 15 years. From merely a means of sharing pictures, videos and events; it has grown into a powerful medium to influence masses.

Social media has gone from nothing to the most successful model of agenda setting, a feature that other forms of media had a monopoly over. Teachers disseminate information to their students on social media, corporate sell their products through it, governments increase their outreach and NGO run awareness campaigns on social media.

Even the medical professional and law enforcement agencies use social media for various purposes. Events from every part of the world find their place in social media much before the traditional media. It won’t be an overstatement to say that social media has brought the world much closer than ever before. The low-cost mobile phones and unlimited data plans have contributed largely to the enormous success of social media.

New Delhi: As the nation is nearing the closure of second spell of lockdown 2.0 on May 3, 2020, there awaits a dubiety as what will be the fallout beyond lockdown and what is there in the offing.

 With over quarter a million affected cases of Coronavirus disease and around 750 deaths, the country is reeling severely under deep angst and pain. The government took a number of measures to contain the outbreak. With lockdown till May 3, it is expected that there can be dampening of the curve. However, the trajectory after May would depend on the swiftness of lockdown de-escalation. The de-escalation of lockdown is potentially an opportunity for the virus to resurface and spread and this is expected to happen to an extent.

 Describing the severity of further spread post-lockdown, Dr VK Paul, NITI Aayog member explains, “There could be new clusters when life and activities become more normal. The enormity of such proliferation is inversely proportional to the collective compliance with the best practices.”

The outbreak of Corana virus (COVID-19) has ignited many of the minds in India to think and express their views on social media in different ways relating it to Hindu traditions. Viewing it further from the prism of Sanatan Dharma or Hindu Dharma, a lot of diverse views emerge. Hindu Dharma is the best example of Democratic living. There have are hardly any restrictions on doing or following anything in Hindu Dharma. It tells you to do your duties, practice what you think is right and self-restrict and self-restraint for the good of yourself and for the rest.

Religion is not necessarily the sigh of the weak as expressed by Karl Marx; but dharma, in Hindu context is something to which people turn to when there is no hope. It is the last resort or the last refuge the people seek for solace. Religion, gives them strength, to survive and to hold on to it to get/swim through the turbulent times/waters. It is something which comes to their rescue. And that is the reason that a particular way of living needs to be followed. Time and again it has been reiterated that Hindu Dhrama is not a way of worship but a way of life. This is what is now being established by the way the world is adopting to be living.

New Delhi: The World Food Day (WFD) is celebrated every year on October 16 to commemorate the founding of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 1945. This is the most celebrated day of the United Nations as over 150 countries across the world organize events to create awareness leading food security and to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030.

The FAO estimates that about 763 million people move within their own courtiers due to hunger, poverty and the increase in extreme weather related events linked to climate change is forcing farmers to migrate in search of better livelihood opportunities.  Almost a third of India’s population, over 300 million is migrants.

The Census of India reports that about 84 per cent migrate within the state and about 2 per cent are intra –state migrants. Huge numbers from the Eastern regions and North East areas have moved to different parts of India in search of work and better employment opportunities. Most of them are seasonal migrants, working for short time and returning to their original state to fend the small farms they own.

According to National Sample Survey Organization, 45 per cent of the farmers interviewed wanted to quit farming. There are multiple factors, especially the declining productivity and profitability that acts as disincentive for younger generation forcing them to migrate.

FAO has called for creating conditions that allow rural youth to stay at home by providing resilient livelihoods to tackle the migration challenge. Creating business opportunities that are non crop based, in food processing and horticultural enterprises can lead to increased food security.  There is an urgent need to build sustainable growth based on long term recovery of the rural community.

The National Commission of Farmers called for attracting and retaining educated youth in farming sector. Heeding to this advice the National Policy for Farmers adopted by Parliament in 2007 emphasised the need to involve youth in agriculture through providing appropriate support measures to retain them in agriculture and allied ancillary processing industries.

Since 2014 NDA led government at the centre has launched several initiatives to address this crisis. The flagship programmes like Soil Health Card, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Rashtirya Krishi Vikas Yojana etc are some of the schemes providing support to farming community.  Each of these programmes attempts to provide solutions to reduce and mitigate the crisis, either of climate change or failure of crops due to lack of rainfall.

The government has set the ambitious target of doubling the farmer’s income by 2022, when the country completes 75 years of independence.  Towards achieving this target, the government is reorienting interventions in the farm and non-farm sectors.

The most unique initiative is ARYA or Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture.  Launched by Indian Council of Agricultural Research it aims at attracting and retaining youth in rural areas through providing sustainable income through value addition, establish market linkages to make it attractive for the younger generation to return to villages. This is being implemented in 25 states through Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s, in one district of each state. It attempts to showcase working model that economically feasible for the youth and which has the potential to attract them.

While launching ARYA, Prof M S Swaminthan said “Unless agriculture is made remunerative and attractive, it would be difficult to retain youth in the field,” he said. When even existing farmers are moving away from farming, unless agriculture is made remunerative, it is unlikely that educated youngsters would take it up. Unless productivity or income is increased, farming cannot become an attractive venture for the young”.

Another initiative as part of the Skill India programme is supporting Agriculture Skill Council of India. The main objective is to build the capacity of the agricultural sector and bridge the gap between the labs and farms. It is being done through upgrading the skills of cultivators, agricultural labours and those engaged allied industry   supporting agricultural activities.

It should be hoped that these schemes would attract youth to farming once again. Otherwise, we have reached a situation when majority of youth, even those belonging to farming families, do not want to pursue the farming as their vocation. They have experienced the harshness of the life of a farmer, where all his efforts to earn a decent income after putting in hard labour produces meagre income or total loss during the time of drought, leaving behind the burden to debt.

The recent initiatives by the government and also the recent leaf forging of technological innovations can help them to resolve the technical crisis and establish a direct linkage with the consumer providing assured income. In this context, Centre’s initiative eNAM (National Agriculture Market) launched in 2016 is very significant. It is a pan India electronic trading portal which networks the existing Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.

With 25 per cent of the country’s population between 18-29 years, it has great potential to entice youth towards farm sector. Farming offers young generation a chance to make a difference by growing food to meet the hunger needs of the countrymen. The government should identify such successful young farmers and provide media and policy support to entice youth with the grand mission of feeding the millions with safe and nutritious food.

Under these circumstances we need multiple strategies that enhance the status of the young farmer to retain on the farm. Like the slogan JAI JAWAN, JAI KISAN, we need to coin the slogan that farmer is also a soldier of Mother Earth protecting our soils and feeding the countrymen.

(The author is an independent journalist based in Karnataka. PIB)