Skilling%20for%20Rural%20Development%20and%20Creating%20Livelihood
The Finance Minister presented the Economic Survey 2015-16 before the Parliament in Feb 2016. As per the report the global economy continues to face challenges such as declining commodity prices, subdued growth and volatile markets with an average growth of 3.1% in 2015. Against this backdrop the Indian economy’s expansion of 7.2% in 2014 and estimated growth between 7.4 - 7.6 % in 2015-16 is significant. Agriculture plays a vital role in India’s economy. Over 58 % of the rural households depend on agriculture as their principal means of livelihood. Agriculture, along with fisheries and forestry, is one of the largest contributors to the GDP. According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the Indian agricultural services and agricultural machinery sectors have cumulatively attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow of about US$ 2,278.3 million from April 2000 to March 2016.
The Indian Merchant’s Chamber – IMC conducted a seminar focused on ‘Skilling for rural Development and Creating Livelihood’ on 25th Oct 2016 in Mumbai. Some of the eminent panelists and speakers were Mr. Deepak Kapoor, Principal Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Department, Government of Maharashtra., Mr. Anil Ruia, Chairman, IMC Agri-business, Food Processing & Commodities Committee & Managing Director, The Kolhapur Sugar Mills Ltd, Mr. Amar Vaid, Vice President and Head – Fruits & Vegetables Business, Reliance Retail and Ms. Nicola Monteiro, Director, Integrated Rural Development Programme, Yuva Parivartan. Mr. Vilas Shinde the Founder & Chairman and his team discussed - Shayadri Farms – ‘A Real Case Study on Transformation of Livelihood by Skill Development among Marginal Farmers’. Dr. Farida Virani – HOD & Professor HR & Behavioural Science with MET – IOM was a speaker and the Master of Ceremony for the seminar. Students from MET – IOM who had ‘farming’ as family business attended the seminar. They gained knowledge about how farming can be a sustainable and profitable business.