The Hindu Business Line : ‘Creation of more jobs in non-farm sector vital for food security’

Dr M.S. Swaminathan, MP and Chairman of MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, delivering the Fourth Founder’s Day Memorial Lecture at the Thiagarajar School of Management in Madurai.

Our Correspondent

Madurai, Dec. 1

Creation of two crore jobs in the non-farm sector in the rural areas over the next twenty years is necessary to achieve a nutrition secure India, said Dr M.S. Swaminathan, Member of Parliament and Chairman M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, here on Sunday.

Delivering the Fourth Founder’s Day Memorial Lecture on ‘Towards a Nutrition Secure India’, at Thiagarajar School of Management, he said that with 60 per cent of people engaged in agriculture, progress in agriculture held the key to prosperity. It remains the single largest private enterprise, in which livelihood is always under threat and continues to be the riskiest profession. Working towards a green revolution, production levels have been raised but hunger has not been banished.

Malnutrition glares across all States in the country. Livelihood and food security are threatened and suicides by farmers are reported. Food security is the fundamental responsibility of the Government and many schemes are in place but they have not yielded the desired results.

A nutrition secure India alone will help in the future, he said.

Availability of adequate levels of production, accessibility to jobs and absorption of food in the body to be healthy constitute the core aspects of a nutrition secure India.

Threats to ecology and economics need to be addressed and management experts have a greater role to play in achieving them. Governance, community management, nutrition as a national mission, climate management, small farm management, quality education, creation of multiple livelihood opportunities in the non-farm sector are the seven steps to be pursued towards achieving the objective, he said.

Mr Swaminathan presented on the occasion the Karumuttu Thiagarajar Chettiar Award for Outstanding Entrepreneur to Mr M. Ramasami, Managing Director, Rasi Seeds (P) Ltd; the Karumuttu Manickavasagam Chettiar Award for Distinguished Community Service to Dr M.K. Mani, Managing Trustee, Kidney Help Trust, Chennai; and the Dr K.M. Thiagarajan Award for Excellence in Management Teaching to Prof M. Sankaran, Director, Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchi.

In his presidential address earlier, Mr M.M. Murugappan, Chairman, Carborundum Universal Ltd, stressed on the need for the management graduates to acquire leadership qualities with a positive approach and tread the path with caution, reflection and introspection to succeed.

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