Organic farming gives Indian farmers greater financial security

Hyderabad, 15th June, 2010: A Greenpeace report released today said the monetary benefits of organic cotton farming are much greater than using the Genetically Engineered variety that makes farmers more vulnerable to financial collapse due to high debts and increased costs of cultivation.

The report titled “Picking Cotton - The choice between organic and genetically-engineered cotton for farmers in South India’ shows that in the year 2009-10 farmers cultivating cotton through organic practices earned 200% more net income than farmers who grew Genetically Engineered cotton [Bt cotton].

The Greenpeace report is a comparative analysis of two methods of agriculture among cotton farmers in Andhra Pradesh. It not only shows the economic benefit of ecological farming (in this case organic) but also that Genetically Engineered (GE) cotton, despite using many toxic pesticides, still has greater crop loss to pests.

“Our study illustrates how farmers growing GE cotton face high debts and high costs of cultivation, becoming more vulnerable to financial collapses”, said Dr Reyes Tirado, Scientist, Greenpeace International, who authored the report.

Bt cotton farmers not only use 26 different pesticides, including pesticides targeting pests that the GE cotton is supposed to control, but also lose financially due to their higher input costs.

In the region of Andhra Pradesh the cost of cultivation is much higher for Bt cotton farmers. The Bt cotton farmers incurred 65% higher debt –accumulated during 2008/09 and 2009/10– than the non-Bt organic cotton farmers.

The farmer distress in the state had lead to the central government announcing a 5 year relief package for farmers amounting to 20,000 crores in the year 2008.

“It is preposterous that on the one hand government dolls out thousands of crores in the name of bringing relief to farmers while on the other they permit and promote Bt cotton cultivation and ensure that the farmer can never escape the debt treadmill.” said Dr G.V Ramanjaneyalu, Executive Director of Centre for Sustainable Agriculture who was present at the report release.

The controversies around Bt cotton have finally forced the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, the agency responsible for the commercial release of GE crops in the country, to do a review of its performance since 2002, the year it was released.

“Bt cotton has only benefitted the multinational seed giants like Monsanto who has earned 1580 crore Rupees as royalty from its patented Bt cotton seed since its release” [1] said Rajesh Krishnan, sustainable agriculture campaigner with Greenpeace India. He concluded that “Cotton farming that uses ecological practices and avoids genetically engineered seeds and agrochemicals is the most beneficial for Indian farmers”,

Greenpeace is demanding that the Indian government bans Bt cotton cultivation, takes an active role in supplying sufficient quantity and quality of non-Bt seeds and supports organic and ecological cotton farming.

£1.5 million fund set up to support Indian students

New Delhi, January 12, 2009: The University of Cambridge today announced a new scholarship programme for Indian students in honour of India’s Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Professor Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, unveiled this scholarship programme at a press gathering in New Delhi. The Manmohan Singh Undergraduate Scholarship programme will provide full funding, covering fees and means-tested maintenance, for undergraduate study in any subject at any of the colleges that are part of the University of Cambridge. The Manmohan Singh Undergraduate Scholarship fund will be launched with gifts from Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild through the Eranda Foundation and from the Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal-led company Bharti Airtel (through Bharti Foundation). The fund will be underpinned by substantial funding from Cambridge Assessment, a department of the University and the parent of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). CIE is the world’s largest provider of examinations for 14 to 19 year olds, and an important participant in the development of India’s education provision. A 1.5 million pounds fund has been set up to support the Indian students; this includes a half million pound endowment in perpetuity. As the programme develops, there are expected to be up to ten Manmohan Singh undergraduate scholars studying at the University at any one time. This initiative will enable more Indian students to study at Cambridge.

"It is a humbling experience to know that these scholarships for the undergraduate students have been named in my honour. I express my gratitude towards the University of Cambridge for giving an opportunity to the youth of India to study at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. India is a nation of young and talented people where scholarships such as these will play a pivotal role in encouraging them to pursue higher education and contribute to the overall social and economic development of the country. I am confident that this programme will not only help strengthen relations between people of India and the UK but also serve our shared objective of creating a better world based on equity and justice,” said Dr. Manmohan Singh, Hon'ble Prime Minister of India."

“The University is honoured that the Prime Minister, who is such a distinguished Cambridge alumnus, has generously agreed to lend his name to this important initiative. This is another great example of the breadth and depth of the Cambridge India Partnership. We are grateful to Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild and to Cambridge Assessment for their recognition that world-class education requires global reach. We look forward to welcoming the first Manmohan Singh Undergraduate Scholars to Cambridge in 2010.” said Professor Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge; while addressing the Indian press in New Delhi during her first overseas visit in the University’s 800th anniversary year.

“We are very moved by the life of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. He proves that if students from any background achieve a world class education they can use it to vastly improve their nation and the world. We believe he is a beacon of hope for students in India who do not have the financial means to attend the University of Cambridge but have the skills and intelligence. We make our contribution for those students so that they might one day return to India to serve their country inspired by the path of Dr. Manmohan Singh. We are very grateful to the University of Cambridge for enthusiastically supporting this effort and trust that it will be of interest to the most qualified students throughout India,” said Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild.

“We are delighted to participate in creating this inspirational initiative to honour the leadership and example of our Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. I was a proud participant at the impressive ceremony to award the honorary doctorate to our Prime Minister by the University of Cambridge in October 2006,” said Sunil MittalThe Prime Minister Manmohan Singh graduated from Cambridge with a First in Economics in the late 1950s. The Manmohan Singh Undergraduate Scholarships will complement the three Manmohan Singh Scholarships that were launched for post-graduate students at St John’s College, Cambridge, and were announced in New Delhi in November 2007. The £35,000 post-graduate scholarship covers all costs, including tuition, maintenance, and cost of living for Indian students to read for PhD & MPhil degrees at St John’s College in areas such as science, technology and social sciences.

Professor Richard is on a ten day return visit to India travelling to Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. A key theme of her visit will be how Cambridge and India can work in partnership to address crucial environmental and economic challenges. On her last visit to India the Vice-Chancellor visited New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and signed important Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), with Tata Sons and with Astra Zeneca. These have resulted in a number of collaborative projects and exchanges related to Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise. In Bangalore this time she will sign an MOU with Infosys for collaboration across several areas including management, architecture and engineering.

In line with the innovative business model based on outsourcing that it pioneered, Bharti Airtel has created an ecosystem of partners for its Sri Lanka operations. It has entered into a three-year managed network deal with Huawei, partnered with IBM to manage its comprehensive IT infrastructure and application requirements, and selected iSmart Timex as its customer care partner.

Abu Bakr

He is a government servant and is at the post where his powers are confine.

Very soon .... you will get to read more about him. This is only to mark the beginning..