Mohali, Feb 17 (IANS): Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Monday that he "is the son of a farmer and son of the farmer will always commit himself to truth".
"India's soul resides in its villages, with the rural system serving as the backbone of the nation. The path to a developed India passes through its villages. A developed India is no longer just a dream; it is our goal," the Vice-President said, emphasising his deep-rooted connection to agriculture.
Addressing the gathering at the inauguration of the Advanced Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme (A-ESDP) Campus at the National Agri-Food and Biomanufacturing Institute (NABI) Mohali, near the state capital Chandigarh, Dhankhar said, "If we look into our historical past, India was known to be a land of knowledge and wisdom, particularly in science, astronomy and what not."
"Every aspect of human life finds reflection in our Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas. And we are a nation that takes pride in having ancient institutions like Nalanda, Takshashila and the kind. Something happened around the 11th or 12th century, and there was a digression."
"Marauders came, invaders came, and they were reckless in destroying our institutions, Nalanda is one of them. Our cultural centres, going to the extent of being so retributive, perversion of a very different kind over our religious centres they built their own. The nation faced it. Then came the British rule."
"Systematically, we got laws that were meant to subserve them. We got an education that destroyed ours and created not an ecosystem of full exploitation of our talent. The best part is, we are springing back," he noted.
Speaking on the significance of research, the Vice-President laid out a clear vision: "All institutions in the country will have to pass the litmus test. And the litmus test is, what impact is being created? In a positive sense, it should be like an earthquake, with the impact being felt."
"A research for the sake of research, a research that is for the self, a research that is to be kept on the shelf, the research that comes out as a personal embellishment is not the research which the nation needs. Research is not giving a paper by scratching the surface. Research is not to impress the one who is ignorant of the subject."
"Research is to impress those who know the subject as much as you know or more than you know at a global benchmark. And that research can't be just abstract academics. The research has to have an impact on what we are doing. And I'm sure this is an area where you have enough scope," he stressed.
Vice-President Dhankhar urged farmers to stay informed about advancements in technology and its potential benefits.
"A farmer is by and large clinging to his tractor. He wants to use the tractor for as long as it can last, ignorant of the fact that new technology is becoming environment-friendly, fuel-efficient, multifunctional, and highly subsidised. There has to be an awareness campaign," he emphasised.