Amit Shah shares post-retirement plan: Vedas, Upanishads and farming
Though he didn't elaborate on how he plans to immerse himself in the Hindu scriptures, Shah offered passionate insights into farming, which he would take up too. He asserted that chemically-grown wheat contributes to serious health issues such as cancer, blood pressure, diabetes, and thyroid disorders."Wheat grown with chemical fertilisers often leads to cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and thyroid issues. We didn't know much about this earlier. Eating food free from chemical fertilisers means you may not need any medicines," Shah said during the Sahkar Samvaad, in Ahmedabad.Natural farming, he said, not only reduces disease but also improves crop productivity."I have been practising natural farming on my own farm, and the yields are nearly 1.5 times higher," said the Home Minister.Shah emphasised natural farming's ecological benefits too, saying, "When it rains heavily, water usually flows out of the farm. But with organic farming, not a single drop goes out – it seeps into the soil. That's because natural farming allows catchways to form. Excessive use of fertilisers has destroyed those catchways".Shah rued over the impact of synthetic fertiliser on farming."Earthworms produce natural fertilisers. But synthetic fertilisers have killed them off. These creatures are nature's own factories of urea, DAP (Diammonium Phosphate), and MPK (Monopotassium Phosphate)," Shah said.During the event, he also spoke about his journey as a minister, emphasising how the Cooperation Ministry holds a special place for him."When I became the Home Minister of the country, everyone told me I had received a very important department. But the day I was appointed Cooperation Minister, I felt I had been given an even greater responsibility – one that serves the country's farmers, the poor, villages, and animals".The event also spotlighted testimonials from women cooperative workers.- EndsMust Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
34 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Balasore student death: Rahul says country wants answers not PM's silence
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Odisha college student who set herself ablaze following alleged sexual harassment by a professor died, and said the daughters of the country are burning and dying while the PM is sitting silent. Gandhi said the country does not want the PM's silence, it wants answers. His remarks came after the Odisha college student, who set herself ablaze following alleged sexual harassment by a professor, died at AIIMS in Bhubaneswar. The second-year integrated student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore, died on Monday night, after fighting for her life for three days. She took the extreme step on Saturday over alleged inaction against the professor and suffered 95 per cent burns. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said the death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is a "direct murder by the BJP system". That brave student raised her voice against sexual exploitation -- but instead of justice, she was threatened, harassed and humiliated repeatedly, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said. Those who were supposed to protect her, kept oppressing her, Gandhi said. "Like every time, the BJP system kept protecting the accused - and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire," he said. "This is not suicide, it is an organised murder by the system," Gandhi alleged. "Modi ji, be it Odisha or Manipur - the daughters of the country are burning, breaking down, dying. And you? Are sitting silent. The country does not want your silence, it wants answers," the former Congress president said. The daughters of India want security and justice, Gandhi added. The woman was first admitted to the Balasore district hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment. She was undergoing treatment in the ICU, Department of Burn Centre, according to officials. "The patient was resuscitated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management, including renal replacement therapy at the Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 pm on July 14," the Department of Burn Centre said in a statement.
Indian Express
43 minutes ago
- Indian Express
More Indian students choosing Europe for higher education
While Indian students heading to foreign universities have declined across the top three destination countries – Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom – member states of the European Union are seeing a steady rise in the number of Indians travelling to pursue higher studies. Canada witnessed a 32% drop, with permits falling from 2.78 lakh to 1.89 lakh, the United States saw a 34% decrease, with F1 visas dropping from 1.31 lakh to 86,110 between fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The UK on the other hand recorded a 26% reduction with sponsored student visas issued to Indians decreasing from 1.20 lakh to 88,732 during the same time period. This reduction has come in the backdrop of tightening immigration measures including introduction of caps on student intake and restrictions on dependent visas. On the other hand, Indian students travelling to EU member states for higher education have risen by close to 80% in the last five years. From close to 50,000 students in 2018, the number has jumped to over 90,000 in 2023-24. While 56,255 students headed to foreign universities in the EU member states in 2018-19, this number jumped to over 90,000 by 2023-24. The figures for 2019-20 and 2022-23 were 66,385 and 84,736 respectively. According to data from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), as of January 1, 2024, over 11.6 lakh Indian students were studying in higher education institutions abroad. While the top three destinations accounted for 31% of Indian students collectively, EU member states accounted for 8% – a figure that has steadily been rising. 'Europe is an attractive destination for Indian students because it offers diversity of programs and a richness of cultural experience. Already 90,000 Indian students are studying in Europe…this speaks for itself. With the EU India bilateral relations with India going full steam ahead, more opportunities for people to people contact will be created,' European Union Ambassador Herve Delphin told The Indian Express. Europe has over 4,000 higher education institutions and 17.5 million tertiary education students (including college and vocational courses). It has close to 1.35 million educators and 1.17 million researchers. EU member states also offer the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's degree (EMJMD), a scholarship awarded on a competitive basis to select students which covers tuition fee, travel costs and living allowance. Since 2004, 50,000 students have got the scholarship grant. Among those who got the grant is 23 year old Arch. 'I was in no mood to go abroad. So, I applied to get admission in PG course in India through CUET. But that was way too competitive – to a damaging extent. Bacho ka dil toot jaata hai (kids get their heart broken because of the exam). I studied from a private university in Gujarat… I decided to take a gap year,' she told The Indian Express. 'I took a gap year for the scholarship because it's so competitive and at the same time prestigious. I was elated when I found out that I got in. I'm going to Poland and Ireland for a Masters in psychology under the Global Minds programme,' she said.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
What S Jaishankar said after meeting President Xi Jinping in China
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping during his first visit to China since ties between India and China soured in 2020. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a meeting with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Beijing, China.(X/@DrSJaishankar) Sharing a picture from the meeting, Jaishankar wrote on X that he spoke to Jinping about the development of India-China bilateral ties and also conveyed greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to him. 'Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties. Value the guidance of our leaders in that regard,' a part of Jaishankar's tweet read. The external affairs minister was accompanied by his counterparts from the SCO member nations when he met Jinping. S Jaishankar is currently visiting China, his first to the neighbouring country since tensions sprung up due to the Galwan Valley clash along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2020. Before Xi Jinping, Jaishankar met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing, and also urged dialogue between India and China. As neighbouring nations and major economies, an open exchange of views and perspectives between India and China is very important. I look forward to such discussions during this visit," Jaishankar had said. Ties between India and China began to significantly improve last year in October, following a meeting between PM Modi and President Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Kazan in October 2024. "I am confident that my discussions in this visit will maintain that positive trajectory, " said Jaishankar. After the crucial meeting in Kazan, India and China had announced plans to disengage troops in Depsang and Demchok, the two fashpoints in Ladakh where the Indian and Chinese armies clashed since 2020. Jaishankar's visit to China is part of his two-nation visit, the first one being in Singapore that he recently wrapped up. He will also hold bilateral talks with his counterpart Wang Yi while in China.
