In order to promote potential technology solutions for enhancing farm mechanization with special emphasis on women friendly equipments, a hackathon named “KRITAGYA” has been planned by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP). Students, faculties and innovators/entrepreneurs from any university / technical institution across the country can apply and participate in the event in the form of a group.
Dr.Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General, ICAR told that in one group maximum 4 participants can compete, with not more than one faculty and / or more than one innovator or entrepreneur. Participating students can collaborate with local start-ups, students from technology institutes, and can win Rs. 5 lakhs, Rs 3 lakhs and Rs. 1 lakh as first, second and third prize. The registration for event has already been started from 15th September 2020.
Dr Mohapatrasaid that the development and promotion of women friendly equipments through innovative technology solutions and right collaborations with stakeholders would play an important role in enhancing the farm productivity and profitability, which has also been emphasized by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on several occasions. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has also stressed upon the need of enhancing the innovation in farm mechanization in several meeting and provided the overall guidance in organizing this event.
Dr. R. C. Agrawal, Deputy Director General, ICAR and National Director, NAHEP told that this event will give an opportunity to the students, faculties, entrepreneurs, innovators and other stakeholders to showcase their innovative approaches and technology solutions to promote farm mechanization in India. The initiative undertaken by NAHEP along with Agricultural Engineering Division of ICAR will also help in enhancing the learning capabilities, innovations and disruptive solutions, employability and entrepreneurial drive in Farm Mechanization sector. Besides, the event will also help in taking forward the vision of high-quality higher education with equity and inclusion as envisaged in NEP-2020.
He also told that in view of increasing women participation in the field operations mainly due to migration of men for better prospects in non-farm opportunities, the ICAR has felt it necessary to organise this event with the overall aim to enhance automation and mechanization to increase the farm productivity and profitability and also to reduce the drudgery.
The ICAR commenced NAHEP, a Government of India and World Bank project, in November 2017 with the overall objective to support the National Agricultural Research and Education System in providing more relevant and better quality education to the students.