Book on ‘food security’ launched

Food Security of India: An Overview authored by Dr SC Modgal, eminent agricultural scientist, and a former vice-chancellor of GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, and published by National Book Trust, India under its Popular Science series was formally launched by Dr S Ayyaapaan, secretary (DARE) and director general, ICAR at New Delhi. Terming the book ‘an excellent read’, and ‘timely’, Dr Ayyappan congratulated the author and NBT, India for bringing out a book on such a vital subject for the general readers and policy makers.

In his observations on the book, Padma Bhushan Dr RB Singh, a pioneering agricultural scientist, brought home the cultural and political aspects of food security for a billion plus population of India. He appreciated the ‘pro-poor’ approach of the book in dealing with the subject, and underlined the fact that physical and economic access of all people at all times to safe and nutritious food of their ‘preference’ is the actual goal of a society trying to achieve food security for its people.

Earlier, the author Dr SC Modgal, briefly touched upon the approach of his book, and proposed that the government should not only concentrate on ‘Make in India’, but should also make a determined pitch for a ‘Bake in India’ programme for the larger benefits of farmers and agriculturists.

In his presidential address, Anand Sarup, ex-secretary (education), Govt of India, former vice-chancellor, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, and a former chairman, National Book Trust, India, while deeply appreciating the book, raised some fundamental questions about agriculture science education in the country and appealed to the scholars of the field to do some introspection about the actual benefits that accrue to farmers and citizens out of their research.

Dr MA Sikandar termed the programme as not only a book release function, but ‘an outreach programme’ of the NBT to associate the scholars of agriculture science with the publishing activities of the Trust for wider dissemination of knowledge and development of the subject area among the general reader, as well as among young readers and children.