Kovind appeals universities to support branding of organic products – Times of India

He was speaking at the 19th convocation of Tezpur University, a central university.

“It is heartening to note that the states in the northeast give high priority to organic farming. The university can play a major role in branding and marketing of agricultural produce of this region,” said Kovind.
He expressed satisfaction to note that the university has received approval under the Prime Minister’s Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises scheme for setting up an incubation centre to process jackfruit and urged the university for a bigger role by incorporating other products. He pinned high hopes from the central varsity where the food engineering and technology department has been recognized as a state-level technical institute for implementation of the scheme.

In this context, he was reminded of the unique Joha rice of Assam, which is known for its excellent taste and aroma. “Universities of Assam can help the farmers by branding, popularizing and marketing this unique variety of rice. There are many such agricultural products in the state that can be promoted,” Kovind said.

He said Assam is gifted with extraordinary beauty of nature and rich biodiversity. “Every resident of Assam, especially the youths, have to be very active on the fronts of conservation and sustainable development,” the President appealed.

He said Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve is an impressive example of conservation. Kovind will go to Kaziranga from Tezpur, and will also inaugurate an exhibition on conservation.

“Development initiatives for eastern part of India, especially in the northeast, is being given special thrust,” he said, appreciating the TU for collaboration with some of the major industries.

Stating that the Covid-19 pandemic had a serious impact on education, he said, the National Education Policy will give ample thrust on digital education. He said the upcoming digital university will provide access to world-class quality, universal education and personalized learning experience at the doorsteps of the students across the country.

“The digital university will provide education in different Indian languages. Tezpur University can become an active stakeholder in this initiative, especially by providing high quality digital contents in Assamese and other languages of the northeast,” Kovid said.

Earlier, Kovind started his speech with a congratulatory message to students in Assamese. He said the education journey has been memorable in Tezpur, associated with great cultural icons- Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Bishnu Prasad Rava, Phani Sarma and Bhupen Hazarika.