MP govt to give Rs 900 per month to farmers rearing indigenous cows

 Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also informed that the MP government is going to start special activities to promote natural farming in 100 villages each across 52 districts of the state

The Madhya Pradesh government has said it will give Rs 900 per month to farmers rearing indigneous cows. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the announcement on Monday while virtually addressing a Niti Ayog workshop on agriculture. The CM also announced the constitution of the Madhya Pradesh Natural Agriculture Development Board to promote natural farming. Desi (indigenous) cows are essential for natural farming, farmers should rear at least one desi cow. We have decided to provide Rs 900 per month to such farmers. So, a farmer will get a total of Rs 10,800 in a year for a desi cow, Chouhan said in his address during this workshop.

He also informed that the MP government is going to start special activities to promote natural farming in 100 villages each across 52 districts of the state. With the current Kharif crop season, natural farming activities will start in 5,200 villages of the state. We are looking for such farmers. So far, 1.65 lakh farmers in the state have shown interest in natural farming. Workshops will also be organised in the state to create an atmosphere for natural farming, he said. The CM further said five full-time workers will be appointed in each block to promote natural farming and they will be paid an honorarium..

The statue of unity: Can it become the new magnet of tourism for India?

History shows that once-in-a-lifetime structures like the Statue of Unity create opportunities around them, especially in tourism, that create a positive return on investment in just a few decades

Current Affair| The Statue of Unity will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. Located facing the Narmada Dam, 3.2 kilometres away on the river island called Sadhu Bet near Rajpipla in Gujarat, the monument along with its surroundings occupies over 20,000 square metres, and is surrounded by a 12-sq-km artificial lake.|BS|It is the world’s tallest statue with a height of 182 metres (597 feet). The Statue of Unity is almost 100 feet taller than China’s Spring Temple Buddha, the world’s current tallest statue at 502 feet. The Sardar Patel statue will be almost twice as high as the Statue of Liberty in New York, which is 305 feet tall. The Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, checking in at a mere 170 feet height, is almost tiny when compared to the new wonder in Gujarat.

The Statue of Unity surely deserves a place in the history of the world. It joins an impressive list of manmade structures that have earned the admiration of the world through generations. The Tower of Jericho came up on the West Bank in about 8000 BC. It was 28 feet high, but was at that time the tallest structure made by man in the world. Mankind progressed significantly over the next 5,000 years. The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt that was constructed in 2560 BC was 481 feet tall. 

 In the modern era, the distinction for heights obviously belongs to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the tallest building in the world, at 2,722 feet high. By comparison, the Washington Monument in Washington DC is 555 feet high; the Eiffel Tower in Paris is 986 feet high; the Empire State Building in New York is 1,250 feet high. Not all the comparisons are apple-to-apple but the Statue of Unity is surely a marvel of Modern India and puts India on the tourism map of the world. 

The massive Statue of Sardar Patel has cost somewhere in the vicinity of Rs 30 billion. There has been much debate about whether the money spent in celebrating and commemorating the memory of India’s Iron Man (Business Standard) could have been better spent on other projects more directly beneficial to the common man. But history shows that once-in-a-lifetime structures such as the Statue of Unity create opportunities around them especially in terms of tourism, that create a positive return on investment in just a few decades.

Statue of Unity: Villagers write open letter to protest PM

The headmen of 22 villages situated near the Sardar Sarovar Dam Monday wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that villagers would not welcome him at the inauguration of the Statue of Unity on October 31.

 Latest News| Local tribal leaders have also announced a boycott of the function citing destruction of natural resources due to the memorial. The Statue of Unity, a memorial to Sardar Patel, is situated on an islet here and, at 182 metres, is touted as the world’s tallest statue.

“These forests, rivers, waterfalls, land and agriculture supported us for generations. We survived on them. But, everything is being (Business Standard) destroyed now and celebrations are also planned. Don’t you think its akin to celebrating someone’s death?  We feel so,” the letter, having common content and signed by sarpanchas of 22 villages, stated.

“We all villagers want to tell you with extreme grief that we will not welcome you on October 31. Even if you come  |BS| here like an unwanted guest, you are not welcome here,” it added. They alleged that people’s hard-earned money is being wasted on projects like Statue of Unity though several villages of the area are still deprived of basic facilities like schools, hospitals and drinking water.

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