Bengaluru: Karnataka Agriculture Minister B C Patil said on Wednesday the Government would soon unveil a policy framework on agri start-ups and operational guidelines.

Patil said agri start-ups can provide missing links in the agricultural value chain and deliver efficient, innovative products, technologies and services to farmers and consumers.

Addressing a virtual session ofFICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) summit and awards for agri start-ups,he said the food and agriculture practices and enterprises in India are poised for transformational changes in line with the new government policies.

"Agriculture has been rapidly evolving into agri business in terms of approach and structure," he was quoted as saying in a FICCI statement.

To develop congenial eco-system for agri start-ups in Karnataka, a committee had been constituted to formulate a policy framework on agri start-ups and operational guidelines.

"The committee has submitted the policy documents to the government, and we are in the process of releasing it shortly," he said, according to the statement.

Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President (Corporate Relations & Alliances), TAFE Ltd, T R Kesavan said said every agri start-up has its own strength and there is a need to create a dedicated cell for agri start-ups.

Chairman, FICCI Task Force on Agri Start-ups, Hemendra Mathur said: "Bengaluru is the tech capital of the country and we must think towards building a centre for excellence in the agriculture sector with the kind of talent and resources that we have in Karnataka".

Pravesh Sharma, Chairman, FICCI Task Force on FPOs and Co-founder and CEO, Kamatan Farm Tech Pvt Ltd, emphasised on having state-level agri start-up policy for different states and this should be supported by a dedicated organisation to promote agri start-ups.

FICCI Secretary General Dilip Chenoy said the agriculture ecosystem is witnessing a wave of entrepreneurship with disruptive and futuristic ideas.

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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra) (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said the country taught a lesson to those who were talking about changing the Constitution.

He was speaking at the unveiling of the Urdu translation of English book "Padmavibhushan Sharad Pawar - The great Enigma" by Sheshrao Chavan here.

The political situation in the country should change, Pawar said, adding, "We should think where we are heading. We have to see that the country does not fall in the wrong hands."

Four months ago (during the Lok Sabha election campaign), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party colleagues made statements that were not in national interest, the NCP (SP) chief said, referring to BJP leader Ananthkumar Hegde's controversial remark that they needed 400-plus seats to amend the Constitution.

"It is a good thing that the people taught a lesson to those who talked about changing the Constitution," Pawar said.

He also hit back at Union minister Amit Shah who recently called him "ringleader of corrupt people".

"A week ago, Amit Shah said that Sharad Pawar is the ringleader of all the corrupt people in the country. Earlier, when he was in Gujarat, he used the law in the wrong manner. For that the Supreme Court externed him from Gujarat. The one who was externed by the Supreme Court is holding charge of the Union Home Ministry now," Pawar said.

Shah was discharged in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case in 2014.