Live Webcast of the address on the ‘Launching of PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana and Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses’ by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India & Stakeholders Interface on Improved Technologies of Tropical Tuber Crops on 11 October 2025
The ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram, organized a Live Web Telecast of the launch of the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana and Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, along with a Scientist-Farmer Interface on Improved Technologies of Tuber Crops on 11 October 2025 at the Millennium Hall of the Institute. The event witnessed active participation from over 260 attendees, including farmers from Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala, as well as staff members of the Institute.
Dr. G. Suja, Director i/c, ICAR-CTCRI, delivered the Presidential Address, highlighting the relevance of tuber crops-based pulses cropping systems in the context of climate change and the crucial role of tropical tuber crops in ensuring food, nutrition, and livelihood security for farming communities. She also emphasized the impact of developmental programmes such as the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP), Tribal Sub Plan (TSP), and North Eastern Hill (NEH) programme in empowering stakeholders in the tuber crop sector.
The programme began with a welcome address by Dr. Sheela Immanuel, Principal Scientist, followed by a technical session conducted by Dr. G. Suja on pulses for food and nutrition security and improved technologies of tropical tuber crops. Dr. D. Jaganathan, Senior Scientist, briefed the participants on various central government schemes related to agriculture. The scientist-farmer interface session was led by Dr. J. Sreekumar, Dr. K. Sunilkumar and Dr. P. Prakash, and the event concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. J. Suresh Kumar.
Following the inauguration, participants viewed the live telecast of the Prime Minister’s address from New Delhi. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched, inaugurated, and laid the foundation stone for several major projects and schemes worth over ₹42,000 crores in the agriculture and allied sectors. Key initiatives included the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting crop diversification, and adopting sustainable agricultural practices, and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, which focuses on increasing pulse productivity, expanding cultivation area, strengthening value chains, and reducing post-harvest losses. The Prime Minister also interacted with farmers, reaffirming the government’s commitment to agricultural self-reliance and rural development.
As part of the programme, participants visited key facilities of the Institute, including the crop museum, biopesticides laboratory, dairy unit, natural and organic farming experimental plots, and the RootSmart facility. Training materials were distributed to support knowledge dissemination. Overall, the event served as a valuable platform for promoting scientific awareness, sharing information on government schemes, and fostering strong farmer-scientist interactions to encourage sustainable agricultural practices in tuber crops-based farming systems.
