Chant Vedic mantra to improve crop yield: Goa govt to farmers
Panaji, Nov 23: The Goa government is promoting a novel technique to improve crop yield: asking farmers to chant ancient Vedic 'mantra' (hymns).
The state government has started advising farmers to adopt 'cosmic farming' in which they need to chant 'Vedic mantra' for 20 days in the farm for better quality and quantity of their crop, an official of the agriculture department said Friday.
He said the government has been holding talks with institutions like the Shiv Yog Foundation and Brahmakumaris who have expertise in this field.
Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai and Agriculture Director Nelson Figueiredo recently visited Guru Shivanand in Gurgaon in Haryana, the promoter of Shiv Yog Krishi, to see how 'cosmic farming' can benefit farmers in Goa, he said.
"The agriculture department wants to tread the path of organic and eco-friendly farming. It has been holding talks with propagators of cosmic farming and other believers of similar activities, which can increase the farm yield in an organic way," Figueiredo said.
Farmers are being explained importance of 'cosmic farming' under the guidance of Shiv Yog Foundation, he said.
"As part of this, a farmer needs to spend at least 20 minutes a day chanting the 'vedic mantra' for 20 days in his farm. The believers of cosmic farming claim that mantra draws the energy of universe into the field and helps the seeds to sprout better and gives quality yield," he said.
Importance is being given to organic farming practices in Goa so that environmental stress due to use of fertilisers and chemicals reduces, he said.
"India is at the centre of an organic revolution that is set to take the world by storm and Goa wants to contribute to this in a big way," Figueiredo said.
The state government is also in touch with Sustainable Yogic Farming project of the rural development wing of the Brahmakumaris, he said. "They (Brahmakumaris) claim that over 1,000 farmers in India are combining organic farming with meditation and it is showing remarkable results," he added.
Figueiredo said farmers are also educated on how sustainable yogic farming can result in lower costs and reduce the pressure on environment.
Earlier this year, Sardesai had said the state's paddy yield would increase if its farmers chanted vedic mantra in their fields and adopted "cosmic farming" techniques.
"Cosmic farming will give you safe food without any chemicals or fertilisers. Under this type of farming, no chemical is put on paddy and it will be grown with organic manure only," he had said.
Claiming that the technique proved beneficial for the farmers, he had said: "The testimonials of the beneficiary farmers make us believe that there is science beyond science and Shivyog Krishi may be the future of farming in the country."
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ED searches: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of targeting Cong leaders
Chamarajanagara (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the central government and its agencies of consistently targeting Congress members by using searches on their properties, and questioned why similar action is not taken against BJP leaders.
He was reacting to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on several individuals, among them the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris and the grandson of former Union Cabinet minister K Rahman Khan, in connection with a cryptocurrency-linked money laundering case.
"The central government always targets Congress leaders. Will they raid the houses of BJP leaders?" Siddaramaiah said in response to a question. More than a dozen premises in the city were searched as part of the operation carried out by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The premises searched comprised those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of the MLA; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of veteran Congress leader K Rahman Khan; and an alleged crypto hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki, officials said.
The money laundering case stems from Karnataka Police FIRs and charge sheets filed in a 2017 case involving the hacking of national and international websites, theft of bitcoins, and the sale of these stolen virtual digital assets (VDAs) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
Mohammed Haris Nalapad, Omar Farook Nalapad, and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this crypto-linked activity, officials added.
