India to become global food basket, says union agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
(Press Release) Bengaluru: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday announced that India is being actively positioned to become the world’s food basket. Speaking at the ICAR-IIHR campus in Bengaluru during the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, the Minister underscored the Centre’s commitment to transforming the agricultural landscape of the country.
Chouhan emphasized that India’s food production potential extends beyond feeding its 145 crore citizens. A collaborative roadmap will be drawn up with support from State Governments, Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), farmers, and scientists to realize this ambitious vision. The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, and the campaign is aptly themed “Viksit Agricultural India.”
A major component of the Abhiyan is the “Lab to Land” initiative, under which over 16,000 scientists are working closely with farmers nationwide to transfer scientific knowledge and technological solutions. In just ten days, 1,896 teams have reached out to nearly nine lakh farmers across 8,188 villages, strengthening the link between research and grassroots agriculture.
In Karnataka alone, more than 70 interdisciplinary teams, comprising scientists and officials from agriculture and allied sectors, have been actively engaging with farmers on their fields. So far, 639 such teams have visited 2,495 villages, interacting with 2,77,264 farmers and collecting critical feedback to shape demand-driven, problem-solving agricultural research programs.
Highlighting the campaign’s vision of “One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team,” the Minister assured farmers of the government’s full support in securing fair prices. He announced that the Centre would bear transportation costs under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), easing market access and reducing farmers’ burden.
Chouhan also issued a strict warning against the sale of adulterated pesticides, promising severe action against offenders to safeguard the interests of farmers and the integrity of agricultural practices.
At the event, the Minister felicitated seven exemplary farmers from Karnataka, Ratnamma, Gopal Gowda, Padmini Gowda, H.K. Raghu, Mangalamma, Mahesh H.N., and Sreenivas, or their outstanding contributions to agriculture and rural development.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
