Modi hails Uttarakhand farmers for 'value addition' process
New Delhi, April 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appreciated the farmers of Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district for starting the production of biscuits from their agricultural produce and selling them in the market.
"In Bageshwar district, main crops sown are mandwa, chaulai, corn or barley. This being a hilly area, the farmers did not get a fair price of their produce.
"But, the farmers in Kapkot village decided to come out of this situation and adopted a value addition process and changed the loss incurring equation into a profit-earning one," the Prime Minister said in his monthly radio programme "Mann Ki Baat".
He said that after these farmers started selling Chaulai (Amaranth) in the form of biscuits directly in the market, their income doubled with the price of grain went to Rs 50 per kg from Rs 25 per kg.
"With the hard work of these farmers, the annual turnover of the society has gone up from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh and with more than 900 families getting employment here, people have stopped migrating to other places," he stressed.
Modi has promised to the farmers that the government's initiatives in agriculture will double farm income by 2022.
He has been urging farmers and bureaucrats to think "out of the box" to help them increase their income.
"Some farmers from hilly areas of Uttarakhand have become a source of inspiration for the farmers across the country. With their collective efforts, they have not only changed their own fortunes but have changed fortunes of the whole region," he said.
He added that it is believed that the land in this area was iron-rich.
"Impressed by the bold initiative of these farmers, the administration has also linked this to the National Livelihood Mission," he said, adding that these biscuits were now being supplied to Almora and Kausani besides being sold to about 50 Aanganwadi centres in the district.
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Hindu Ekta Sammelanams in Kerala mask sangh outreach through temple gatherings
Kochi: Temple premises in several parts of Kerala have been increasingly organizing programs calling for Hindu unity as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh celebrates its centenary year with outreach events across the country.
The News Minute reported that one such programme held on February 28 near Edappally in Kochi began with traditional performances, including chenda melam and a Thiruvathira dance at the Anjumana Devi temple ground, and transitioned into a “Hindu Ekta Sammelanam”. Organisers were quoted as saying that the objective of the event was “to bring together members of different Hindu communities by transcending caste, regional and linguistic differences.”
The RSS is celebrating its centenary year by nationwide series of conferences. These began on October 2, 2025. Reports indicate that more than one lakh such meetings are planned across India in 2026, with over 1,000 events scheduled in Kerala between February and March.
At the Edappally programme representatives of the Hindu Aikya Vedi and other spiritual leaders expressed their thoughts. Hindu Aikya Vedi state president R V Babu said the events are organised to strengthen a sense of unity among Hindus and encourage people to move beyond caste divisions.
Participants at the gathering included members of various organisations such as the Nair Service Society, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam and representatives of other community groups. Some attendees said they viewed the events primarily as religious or cultural programmes organised around temples in their localities.
Criticizing the gatherings, leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said that temple premises are being used to advance a political agenda under the cover of religious and cultural programs. The party’s youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India, has opposed some of the events at the local level, arguing that religious spaces should not become platforms for ideological mobilisation.
Some attendees clarified that they participated viewing the programmes as temple-based community events rather than political meetings. Others acknowledged that discussions during the sessions included references to electoral participation and broader social themes.
Similar objections were raised in Kozhikode district, where local CPI(M) workers opposed a gathering linked to a temple committee. He argued that religious spaces should not be used for political mobilization, when Kerala is expected to go to Assembly polls in 2026.
