Global food production has been assessed to rise by 70 percent by 2050 to cater for growth in world population of more than 30 percent. Sub-Saharan Africa’s population would grow the fastest (+114 percent) and East and Southeast Asia’s the slowest (+13 percent). Urbanization is foreseen to continue at an accelerating pace with urban areas to account for 70 percent of world population in 2050 (up from 49 percent at present) and rural population, after peaking sometime in the next decade, actually declining. At the same time, per capita incomes in 2050 are projected to be a multiple of today’s levels.
It is beyond any shade of doubt that global food security is one of the most pressing societal issues of our time. Though advances in agricultural technology and expertise will significantly increase the food production potential of many countries / regions, yet these advances will not increase production fast enough to meet the demands of the planet’s even faster-growing human population.
To say that Americans, in general, are very fond of coffee just as Indians, in general, are chai (tea) lovers is a sweeping opinion which however has tremendous amount of truth. It is hard to imagine an Indian town without a tea shop. The same can be said about all North American towns. An American town without a Dunkin Donuts (American global Donut Company and Coffee House) and a Canadian town without a Tim Hortons (Canadian global coffee and donut restaurant) are unimaginable. Needless to say, there are many other fast food eateries like McDonalds, Swiss Chalet, Burger King, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut, etc. in these countries, but I just want to refer to these two as representative restaurants to juxtapose them with our Indian fast-food shop counterparts. The idea is to highlight the scope for improvement with our business ideas and to trigger local young minds to take these enterprises seriously and tap into the potential they offer. It is about time that we revisit the concept of a Chiya-dokan/Chai Ki Dukan (tea shop) and re-strategize the enterprise to make it more attractive, organized, hygienic, futuristic or ‘up to the minute’ as they say.
The First Indian Fire Service Games got under way on 2nd February under the banner of Indian Fire Service Games Association. Prakash Mishra , IPS (Retd.) Director General Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards inaugurated the games at Divisional Sports Complex, Mankapur Nagpur.
Total 1242 participants from 24 states and 40 public sector undertakings were featured in this three day event. The sports event included atheletics, football, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, ultimate fire fighters alive, Horizontal rope rescue competition, Pump drill including 4 persons etc.
Patanjali is coming up with as many as five institutes where Yoga guru Baba Ramdev will invest in Nagaland in a big way. The projects include a Para-Medical and Nursing College, Management College, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Ayurvedic College and Engineering College. Of the five projects announced, except for the Engineering College, which is located at Nuiland in Dimapur district, the rest of the projects are in Punglwa, which is the Chief Minister’s home district Peren.
“Baba Ramdev” the Yog Guru has established the Patanjali Ayurved Limited in 2006 along with Acharya Balkrishna with the objective of establishing science of Ayurveda in accordance and coordination with the latest technology and ancient wisdom. Manufacturing units and headquarters are located in the industrial area of Haridwar while the registered office is located at Delhi. Patanjali Ayurved produces products in the categories of personal care and food also manufacturing division has over 300 medicines for treating a range of ailments and body conditions from common cold to chronic paralysis. Patanjali had also announced to enter the textile manufacturing centre. The company is reported to manufacture not only traditional clothes such as Kurta Payjama but also popular western clothes such as jeans.
Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang, expressed his exhilaration in the laying of the foundation stones and conveyed his gratitude to Acharya Balkrishna and Ramdev for their interest in these projects. He said the decision to start five professional colleges by Patanjali Yogpeeth would go a long way in bringing quality education to Nagaland and help local youth acquire skills that would enable them to find sustainable livelihoods. He said that these five institutions will become centres of excellence.
He added “The institution of Patanjali has become a household name in just about 12 years because its products have gained popularity across the country and beyond. Nagaland has a population with 60% below the age of 25, who are hard-working and have the ability to dream. This initiative of the Government of Nagaland wherein government will provide land and the Patanjali will invest in the project has the potentially being a model public-private-partnership and centres of excellence not only in Nagaland but in the entire Northeast.
Rashmi Mizar
To read the further article please get your copy of Eastern Panorama March issue @http://www.magzter.com/IN/Hill-Publications/Eastern-Panorama/News/ or mail to contact @easternpanorama.in
The title of this essay is both, ironic and paradoxical and the ambiguity is meant to be so as much as my observation goes which stems from the market place to the many farms that dot the hills around this beautiful place that we inhabit and call our home. In the old days when we were growing up, the market places were small, vegetables were organic and fresh, and foodstuff was cheap. I clearly remember being sent to the evening market at Laitumkhrah with twenty or fifty rupees and coming home with a bag full of produce which included fish and sometimes meat. Nowadays a bagful of shopping is, perhaps, five hundred rupees or more and most of the vegetables are not fresh, over ripe, non-organic and imported from other states – not local!
