Latest news with #Gaud
Time of India
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
India's new women pacer, Kranti, wants to help aspiring sportswomen
Bhopal: The new pace sensation of the Indian women's cricket team, 21-year-old Kranti Gaud, hailing from the tribal region of Bundelkhand in Madhya Pradesh, dedicates her success to her family, which faced sheer hardships and her demands as an aspiring cricketer. She dropped out of school after her father lost his job with MP Police, while her eldest brother left his studies to take up a job and support the family. However, the hardships faced in life helped her overcome adversities and shine. After her initial success with the ball in international women's cricket, she intends to give back to society and help aspiring sportspersons. She says, "It's time for me to give back to society." Gaud's recent performance against England in the third match, where she claimed six wickets, led India to a series victory. Following her record-breaking haul, the young pacer received recognition from Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who shared her Player of the Match award with her. Kranti's journey to the national team was stupendous. Her coach, Rajiv Bilthare, recalled giving her Rs 1600 for cricket spikes initially. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo "I still remember the happiness on her face. She told me it was like a dream come true for her," Bilthare said. Bilthare explained, "When she came to my academy for the first time in 2017, she was wearing simple shoes and clothes. I came to know that her father was unemployed as he was terminated from the job, and the whole family was dependent on the sole income of her elder brother, so I did not think it right to charge her any fee. I myself used to arrange for her dress, shoes, clothes, and other cricket gear. Since the girl had talent, she played well and brought glory to all of us. " The youngest of six siblings, Kranti's father, Munna Singh, lost his job with the Madhya Pradesh Police in 2012 due to misconduct during election duty, leading the family to shift from their official quarters to a small rented home. Gaud expressed her aspirations, "I want to buy a house for my family. This is my priority. I want to help other girls at the academy who can't afford cricket gear," she told TOI. "My assistance to the girls will enable them to concentrate on their sporting activities without worrying about resource constraints," Gaud said. Her brother Mayank recounted their struggles: "I was the eldest among our siblings. My father was the sole breadwinner for the family. After losing his job, we were in a lot of trouble—without a house and even difficult to have proper meals daily. Me and my family faced very bad times. At that time, to even think of letting Kranti pursue her passion for cricket was very difficult. People rebuked us, but somehow we managed, and the results are there for all to see. "
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Time of India
Man killed, nephew hurt in road accident
Rourkela: A 34-year-old man was killed and his minor nephew critically injured when a trailer hit their scooter on the Kanika-Durubaga-Kanaktura road under Hemgir police station limits in Sundargarh district on Wednesday. The incident triggered a six-hour protest by locals who demanded compensation and employment benefits for the deceased's family. The deceased, Sraban Gaud, a resident of Badibahal and an employee of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited's Dulunga mines, was travelling with his 14-year-old nephew, Subham Dila, when the tragedy occurred around 9 am. The trailer, reportedly heading towards the Odisha Coal & Power Limited (OCPL) mines, struck their scooter from behind. While Subham was thrown off the vehicle, Sraban fell on the road and was run over by the trailer. The driver fled the scene. Subham, a resident of Tilia, was initially rushed to Hemgir community health centre and later shifted to Sundargarh district headquarters hospital as his condition deteriorated. Protesters placed Gaud's body on the road, demanding adequate compensation, employment for his widow, and the construction of a coal corridor road. The blockade was lifted around 3pm after authorities assured a compensation package, including Rs 1 lakh from OCPL, another Rs 1 lakh from the truck association, and Rs 20,000 from the Red Cross, along with employment provisions for Gaud's wife. "We are working to identify the trailer and apprehend the driver," said Nirmal Mohapatra, SDPO, Sadar, Sundargarh. The post-mortem examination is scheduled for Thursday.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
New Delhi has chance to repay Green Revolution debt: Why doing so is in India's interest
It was William S Gaud, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), who coined the term 'Green Revolution'. In a speech delivered on March 8, 1968, Gaud delved on the 'paramount importance of the world food problem' and how countries such as India were addressing it through planting of high-yielding varieties of wheat. This development, he said, had the makings of a new revolution: 'It is not a violent Red Revolution like that of the Soviets…I call it the Green Revolution'. It's the same USAID that has been shut down by the Donald Trump administration from July 1. Among the institutions impacted by the closure of the agency — that oversaw civilian foreign aid and development assistance from the US government — is the Mexico-headquartered International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center or CIMMYT. Synonymous with the renowned agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug, CIMMYT bred the semi-dwarf varieties Lerma Rojo 64A, Sonora 63, Sonora 64 and Mayo 64 that Indian farmers first sowed in 1964-65. Over the next few years, these varieties spread to more countries, heralding Gaud's 'Green Revolution.' While CIMMYT originated from a Mexican government and Rockefeller Foundation-sponsored programme in the 1940s and 50s, USAID became its main funder. It accounted for about $83 million out of CIMMYT's total $211 million grant revenues received in 2024. With the USAID's dismantling, CIMMYT is now looking at India — one of its major beneficiaries — as a potentially significant benefactor. Cold War institutions CIMMYT is to wheat what the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) — established by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations in 1960 — has been to the other big cereal grain crop. Both were key to the US cultivating soft power and projecting a positive global image, more so during the Cold War. That was the time the US saw the Soviet Union as a threat, and believed that the deteriorating food situation in developing countries could foment political instability and eventual communist takeovers. Increasing cereal grain production in these countries, then, became a geopolitical imperative as part of US foreign policy. With Borlaug's varieties, Indian farmers could harvest 4-4.5 tonnes per hectare of wheat, as against 1-1.5 tonnes from the traditional tall cultivars prone to lodging (bending or falling over) when their earheads were heavy with well-filled grains. IRRI's semi-dwarf varieties, such as IR 8, IR 36 and IR 64, similarly boosted paddy (rice with husk) yields from 1-3 tonnes to 4.5-5 tonnes per hectare with minimal fertilisers, and 9-10 tonnes with higher application. Moreover, they matured in 110-130 days, compared with the 160-180 days (from seed to grain) for the traditional tall varieties. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1970. And it was fittingly for Peace. How India benefited The Green Revolution was seeded in India by CIMMYT and IRRI. Even the blockbuster wheat varieties Kalyan Sona and Sonalika, released for commercial cultivation by Indian scientists in 1967-68, were developed through selections from the progeny of advanced breeding material supplied by CIMMYT. Over time, Indian scientists, led by VS Mathur at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi, came out with their own varieties, particularly HD 2285 in 1982 and HD 2329 in 1985. These raised wheat yields to 5-6 tonnes per hectare. It went up further to 7 tonnes-plus with HD 2967, which IARI scientists — mainly BS Malik, Rajbir Yadav and AP Sethi — unveiled in 2011. In rice, likewise, V Ramachandra Rao and MV Reddy at the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University developed the mega varieties Swarna (MTU 7029) and Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204), released in 1982 and 1986 respectively. IARI scientists like EA Siddiq, VP Singh and AK Singh also bred improved high-yielding basmati varieties, including Pusa Basmati 1 (released in 1989), 1121 (2003) and 1509 (2013). India exported 6.1 million tonnes of basmati rice valued at $5.94 billion (Rs 50,311.89 crore) in 2024-25. More than 90% of that was from IARI-bred varieties. Borlaug was once asked why the Green Revolution succeeded in India and not in most other developing countries, specifically Africa. He is said to have replied that it was because 'they didn't have institutions like IARI and scientists like MS Swaminathan'. The latter was instrumental in devising the overall strategy and implementation plan for the Green Revolution, with the full support of the then political leadership — from agriculture minister C Subramaniam to Prime Ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi. Significantly, IRRI's chief breeder Gurdev Singh Khush — his IR 36 and IR 64 varieties were planted in 10-11 million hectares (mh) each worldwide during the 1980s and 1990s respectively — was an Indian. So was Sanjaya Rajaram, appointed by Borlaug as head of CIMMYT's wheat breeding programme when he was just 29. The major varieties released during the 1990s in India — PBW 343, WH 542, Raj 3765 and PBW 373 — were all under his leadership. Why India still needs them The accompanying table shows that six out of the top 10 wheat varieties, accounting for over 20 mh out of the roughly 32 mh area sown by Indian farmers in 2024-25, were directly released from CIMMYT material. The only notable indigenously bred wheat variety in recent times has been HD 2967, which covered a record area of 12-14 mh at its peak in 2017-18 and 2018-19. But the varieties released since then are predominantly based on CIMMYT germplasm. CIMMYT and IRRI, to that extent, remain relevant to India, which has a vital stake in both institutions. With the US under Trump adopting a more transactional, if not coercive, approach to foreign policy, India has both scope and reason to step up funding of the global breeding research and development programme. In 2024, India contributed a mere $0.8 million to CIMMYT and $18.3 million to IRRI. 'We should give more, but it must be for basic and strategic research in areas such as identification of new genetic resources for heat and drought tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency traits, gene editing and use of artificial intelligence tools. And it should be collaborative, not at the expense of funding for our own national agricultural research system,' said Rajendra Singh Paroda, former director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Harish Damodaran is National Rural Affairs & Agriculture Editor of The Indian Express. A journalist with over 33 years of experience in agri-business and macroeconomic policy reporting and analysis, he has previously worked with the Press Trust of India (1991-94) and The Hindu Business Line (1994-2014). ... Read More
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Enhance transparency and rebuild public trust': Ghaziabad police set up ‘Command and Control Rooms' at zonal deputy commissioners' offices
The Ghaziabad police inaugurated 'Command and Control Rooms' at the offices of all three zonal deputy commissioners of police to bolster their services Wednesday, two months after implementing the Citizens Charter, restructuring their beat-policing system, and setting up a feedback cell. The control rooms will serve as centralised monitoring hubs for all CCTV cameras installed in police stations and in the courts of the assistant commissioner of police (ACP) commissionerates across the three zones, the police said in a statement on Thursday. 'We have installed 86 cameras — 68 in police stations and 18 in ACP courts — which are monitored around the clock from these control rooms,' said J Ravinder Gaud, Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad. The officer also said that each room is staffed by three policemen working in eight-hour shifts. 'Their role includes not only monitoring police operations but also closely observing how complainants and visitors are treated at police stations. The system allows immediate escalation of any suspicious activity or inappropriate behaviour directly to the respective deputy commissioner of police,' the official statement read. According to Gaud, the force is emphasising both quality and sensitivity and prioritising a proactive and citizen-first approach in public service reforms. 'With this step, Ghaziabad is setting a benchmark in using technology and citizen feedback mechanisms to enhance transparency and rebuild public trust in law enforcement,' he added. To bolster its services towards the public, the force has already implemented the Citizens Charter for time-bound delivery of various key police services, including passport verification and issuance of character certificates to the public. Gaud stated that the Citizens Charter has significantly reduced unnecessary delays and improved service efficiency for the public. In May, the Ghaziabad police had restructured their beat-policing system, creating 2,096 police beats in urban and rural areas to make policing more citizen-centric and enhance law and order and crime monitoring in the district. 'We have to redefine urban policing and take it to the international standards,' he said in the statement. The Ghaziabad police have also set up a feedback cell to further reinforce citizen engagement, through which daily feedback is collected from the public regarding police services. 'Out of 27,000 feedback entries that we received since May, only 14 were negative. It is a mere 0.051 per cent. Yet we are taking each negative feedback seriously and thoroughly investigating it and resolving it within the set timelines,' he stated.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Degrowth and the reimagining of Indian agriculture
For decades, global agriculture has pursued an extractive model of relentless yield maximisation—at a devastating cost. Soil degradation, water scarcity, and deepening inequities have made it clear that the promise of perpetual growth in a finite world is an illusion. This brief challenges the dominant narrative of industrialised, high-input farming and reimagines Indian agriculture through the lens of 'degrowth'—an emerging concept that is not about producing less, but about producing differently: prioritising well-being over profit, biodiversity over monocultures, and local self-sufficiency over corporate dependency. The brief explores how regenerative practices, community-driven food systems, and ecological balance can create a sustainable, just, and resilient future for farmers and consumers alike. Drawing on ancient Indian wisdom, modern ecological science, and global case studies, it presents a roadmap for a transition that is not only necessary but inevitable. For the past 25 years, development professionals have attempted to find a solution for poverty and food insecurity in developing countries. The template used is akin to log frame matrices perfected by Western agricultural science. It included training farmers in developing countries to use high doses of agro-chemicals (input), resulting in increased yield (output), a rise in income (outcome), and food security (impact). This template became a norm in international development and has been prevalent since 1968, when William Gaud, then director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), coined the slogan Green Revolution to describe a framework marked by the extensive use of hybrid seeds with connected fertilisers and chemicals for monoculture farming, which created an output of a huge increase in yield. Gaud borrowed the idea from Henry Ford's 1913 concept of assembly lines with specialised tasks for each worker, which reduced the time needed to produce a car from 12 hours to 90 minutes while reducing manufacturing costs. Soon, farms were transformed into 'factories in the field,' specialising in single-crop assembly lines. This phenomenon of extracting as much as possible from the soil using modern science continued in the 1990s. The use of biotechnologies, as well as the growing of genetically modified crops resistant to pests and diseases, were introduced. The more recent years have witnessed the use of smart agriculture through digital technologies. The question that arises is whether such focus on growth has provided the expected results in India and the world. This brief explores the promise of a contrasting approach—i.e., transitioning from extractive, chemical-laden agriculture to a degrowth in agriculture; prioritising ecology over yield, and people over profits. This paper can be accessed here. This paper is authored by Shatadru Chattopadhayay, ORF, New Delhi.
