Agritech, tradition twin pillars of Viksit Bharat: LS Speaker Om Birla

New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asserted on Saturday that India’s road to becoming a fully-developed country by 2047 must run directly through its rural heartland.

Addressing a national conference here on “Sustainable Agriculture for Viksit Bharat@2047”, Birla said true economic sovereignty hinges on transforming farms from traditional livelihood sectors into tech-driven powerhouses.

The two-day summit, jointly organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), ICAR and the Ministry of Agriculture, brought together policymakers, scientists and agriculturalists to map out a self-reliant farming ecosystem.

Far from treating agriculture as merely a contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Birla described

farming as the structural foundation of Indian civilisation.

“India’s villages are the country’s true strength and our farmers continue to be the backbone of both our economy and social fabric,” he said.

To insulate this backbone against climate volatility and shifting global markets, the conference highlighted a crucial shift: moving away from resource-heavy farming toward “precision agriculture” using data and technology to optimise resource use.

The transition strategy outlined by leadership relies on merging time-tested indigenous practices with next-generation technology, focussing heavily on modernising infrastructure and preserving natural resources, Birla underlined. PTI NAB RC