Latest news with #Mithila
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Remove construction materials from Gaya Jn ahead of Pitripaksh Mela, DM asks railway officials
Gaya: District Magistrate (DM) Shashank Shubhankar and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anand Kumar on Friday inspected the Gaya Junction and directed railway officials to remove construction materials from the railway station premises so that pilgrims, who will be arriving Gaya Ji from different parts of the country and the abroad during the upcoming Pitripaksh Mela, do not face any inconvenience due to the ongoing re-construction work of the railway station. The fortnight-long Pitripaksh Mela will be organised this year from Sept 6 to 21. "Get the iron equipment and other construction materials scattered around the station premises, removed at an isolated place to avoid inconvenience to the pilgrims. Also get all exit roads and the parking on the station premises levelled and signage, indicating entry and exit routes, installed. Ensure installation of lights at every place so that no dark spot is left. Arrival and departure of trains should be displayed through LED and television screens," the DM instructed during the inspection. He observed that the foot overbridges at some places have become very narrow and instructed to get signage installed at such places, and also deploy officials and police personnel so that any sudden crowd of pilgrims might be divert through safe route. The DM and the SSP also held a meeting where the railway officials informed them that at present more than 85 trains are operational via Gaya Junction. Everyday around 40,000 to 50,000 passengers travel via this station. The number of passengers travelling is likely to be around 80,000 to 90,000 during the Pitripaksh this year. Majority of pilgrims come here from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana, they said. The DM instructed to get adequate number of high resolution CCTV cameras installed for crowd control management and set up a control room as well at the station premises. He also asked to get Mithila painting done on walls of the station for an appealing look.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
A visit to Sitamarhi in Bihar
'I love this!' said Taran, looking at an intricately patterned painting of people and animals in bright colours, as he put his bags down in the guest room. Taran and family were visiting friends in Sitamarhi, Bihar, about 130km away from Patna. 'Oh! You are looking at an art style that is the pride of this region: Mithila. It is called Madhubani or Mithila art and is traditionally done by women. They paint on mud walls using natural colours from berries and flowers. These days, you can spot it on paper, fridge magnets and sarees too,' said their host. 'It's very cool. I love the symmetrical fish,' he said, stepping closer for a better look. 'The art is usually inspired from Nature and mythology. Geometrical designs are used too,' said their host, adding, 'In fact, Goddess Sita is said to have been born here in Sitamarhi. She is also a big inspiration for Madhubani art. This evening, let's go to the Sita temple revered by locals and tourists alike.' 'Sita Mata was born here?' asked Taran. 'The Ramayana tells us that Sita had a very unique birth. She was found as a baby while her father, King Janaka, was ploughing the field in this area. That is why this region has a lot of spiritual and cultural importance.' Exploring They visited the Goddess Sita's temple that evening. There were many devotees milling about. Later, they headed to a location called Panth-Pakar. 'There really isn't much to see here. Just an old banyan tree. But it is very special.' It was a hot day, so Taran's mother sat down under the shade of the tree. Appa chimed in, 'It is claimed that Queen Sita rested here on her way to Ayodhya after her marriage to Rama. Now our modern-day queen also rests here.' He smiled at Amma. She smiled back, seeming pleased with the analogy. 'I think our king should find us some local snacks and take us shopping,' she retorted. 'Haha! I'm sure Goddess Sita didn't worry about snacks and had loftier thoughts,' countered Appa. Taran joined the fun. 'Modern queens have modern problems and finding yummy snacks seems fitting to the occasion.' Their host added his mite. 'May I present the perfect Bihari snack: Litti Choka? I know just the place for it.' Everyone piled back into the car and headed back into town, each lost in their own thoughts of the day, till the wafting smell of mustard oil at the restaurant brought them back to the present. 'Litti!' Taran's family said in unison.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
40% increase in agri production in last 11 years: Union minister
Patna: Union minister for agriculture and family welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday called upon agricultural scientists to develop advanced technologies, including portable fertiliser testing tools, in response to farmers' demands so that India could become a developed nation. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking as the chief guest at the fourth convocation of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU) at Pusa (Samastipur), Chouhan emphasised that since most Indian farmers operate on small landholdings, there is a greater need for compact, efficient machinery rather than large-scale equipment. More than 850 scholars of the university received their degrees, and nearly 20 of them were awarded gold medals at the convocation. Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare, Ram Nath Thakur, and the state's deputy chief minister and agriculture minister Vijay Kumar Sinha also attended the convocation. The minister called for research focused on extending the shelf life of perishable agricultural produce like litchi and tomato. He also urged the students to put their knowledge and research to practical use and contribute to ensuring food security of India. Chouhan pointed out that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the country's food reserves are abundant. "We are now exporting wheat, and there was a significant increase in rice production as well. The production of food grains reached such levels that additional storage facilities are being arranged in the country," he said. "There has been 40% increase in agricultural production and Basmati rice exports worth Rs50,000 crore in the last 11 years under PM Modi govt, and we need to increase production per hectare," Chouhan said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The minister also emphasised the importance of promoting natural farming as a sustainable solution to safeguard the planet for future generations. He called upon the degree recipients to adopt farming as their careers and implement their knowledge in ensuring the implementation of natural farming. He further said, "Samastipur is the gateway to Mithilanchal, the sacred land of King Janak and Goddess Sita, who is an inspiration to women in India." The convocation was held in accordance with the traditions of the age-old Mithila culture, as the guests were wearing Mithila paag (headgear) with Madhubani painting on the occasion Speaking on the occasion, state deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that Bihar launched a number of schemes to promote the production of millets, pulses, and oils. RPCAU scholars engaged in research on these crops are being paid a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000, besides an annual contingency grant of Rs one lakh. Furthermore, the industries department has also set up an innovation and incubation centre on this campus, the minister said. RPCAU's vice-chancellor P S Pandey, in his annual report, pointed out that in the last nine years after its central takeover; the university developed 23 new varieties of different crops and 27 new agricultural techniques. Kashvi Kajal and Parna Chatterji were awarded the visitor's gold medals for UG topper students across the colleges. The chancellor's gold medal for the overall PG topper was awarded to Aditi Banik and Amimsha Limboo Subba. The vice-chancellor's gold medal to PhD toppers was awarded to Debabrata Nath and Jeevitha. Patna: Union minister for agriculture and family welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday called upon agricultural scientists to develop advanced technologies, including portable fertiliser testing tools, in response to farmers' demands so that India could become a developed nation. Speaking as the chief guest at the fourth convocation of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU) at Pusa (Samastipur), Chouhan emphasised that since most Indian farmers operate on small landholdings, there is a greater need for compact, efficient machinery rather than large-scale equipment. He also called for research focused on extending the shelf life of perishable agricultural produce like litchi and tomato. More than 850 scholars of the university received their degrees, and nearly 20 of them were awarded gold medals at the convocation. Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare, Ram Nath Thakur, and the state's deputy chief minister and agriculture minister Vijay Kumar Sinha also attended the convocation. Chouhan pointed out that under the leadership of the PM Modi, the country's food reserves are abundant. "We are now exporting wheat, and there was a significant increase in rice production as well. The production of food grains reached such levels that additional storage facilities are being arranged in the country. This marks a record growth in agricultural output," he said. The minister also emphasised the importance of promoting natural farming as a sustainable solution to safeguard the planet for future generations. He called upon the degree recipients to adopt farming as their careers and implement their knowledge in ensuring the successful implementation of natural farming. The convocation was held in accordance with the traditions of the age-old Mithila culture, as the guests were wearing Mithila paag (headgear) with Madhubani painting on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, state deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that Bihar launched a number of schemes to promote the production of millets, pulses, and oils. RPCAU scholars engaged in research on these crops are being paid a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000, besides an annual contingency grant of Rs one lakh. Furthermore, the industries department has also set up an innovation and incubation centre on this campus, the minister said. RPCAU's vice-chancellor P S Pandey, in his annual report, pointed out that in the last nine years after its central takeover; the university developed 23 new varieties of different crops and 27 new agricultural techniques. It was also awarded 13 patents on its innovations, besides a GI tag on 'Marcha Dhan', a variety of paddy, during the period. The university introduced several new PG diploma and certificate courses, including AI, IoT, big data analytics, drone technology, and e-marketing, with a view to meeting the needs of modern agriculture, he added. Kashvi Kajal and Parna Chatterji were awarded the visitor's gold medals for UG topper students across the colleges. The chancellor's gold medal for the overall PG topper was awarded to Aditi Banik and Amimsha Limboo Subba. The vice-chancellor's gold medal to PhD toppers was awarded to Debabrata Nath and Jeevitha.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Union agri minister urges scientists to develop compact machinery for farming, fertiliser testing tools
Patna: Union minister for agriculture and family welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday called upon agricultural scientists to develop advanced technologies, including portable fertiliser testing tools, in response to farmers' demands so that India could become a developed nation. Speaking as the chief guest at the fourth convocation of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU) at Pusa (Samastipur), Chouhan emphasised that since most Indian farmers operate on small landholdings, there is a greater need for compact, efficient machinery rather than large-scale equipment. He also called for research focused on extending the shelf life of perishable agricultural produce like litchi and tomato. More than 850 scholars of the university received their degrees, and nearly 20 of them were awarded gold medals at the convocation. Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare, Ram Nath Thakur, and the state's deputy chief minister and agriculture minister Vijay Kumar Sinha also attended the convocation. Chouhan pointed out that under the leadership of the PM Modi, the country's food reserves are abundant. "We are now exporting wheat, and there was a significant increase in rice production as well. The production of food grains reached such levels that additional storage facilities are being arranged in the country. This marks a record growth in agricultural output," he said. The minister also emphasised the importance of promoting natural farming as a sustainable solution to safeguard the planet for future generations. He called upon the degree recipients to adopt farming as their careers and implement their knowledge in ensuring the successful implementation of natural farming. The convocation was held in accordance with the traditions of the age-old Mithila culture, as the guests were wearing Mithila paag (headgear) with Madhubani painting on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, state deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that Bihar launched a number of schemes to promote the production of millets, pulses, and oils. RPCAU scholars engaged in research on these crops are being paid a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000, besides an annual contingency grant of Rs one lakh. Furthermore, the industries department has also set up an innovation and incubation centre on this campus, the minister said. RPCAU's vice-chancellor P S Pandey, in his annual report, pointed out that in the last nine years after its central takeover; the university developed 23 new varieties of different crops and 27 new agricultural techniques. It was also awarded 13 patents on its innovations, besides a GI tag on 'Marcha Dhan', a variety of paddy, during the period. The university introduced several new PG diploma and certificate courses, including AI, IoT, big data analytics, drone technology, and e-marketing, with a view to meeting the needs of modern agriculture, he added. Kashvi Kajal and Parna Chatterji were awarded the visitor's gold medals for UG topper students across the colleges. The chancellor's gold medal for the overall PG topper was awarded to Aditi Banik and Amimsha Limboo Subba. The vice-chancellor's gold medal to PhD toppers was awarded to Debabrata Nath and Jeevitha.
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Rain revives fish farming in irrigation tank near Tiruvannamalai
Fish farming in an irrigation tank, which is maintained by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), at Melathikkan village near Tiruvannamalai town has been revived for the season due to rain in recent weeks, resulting in steady rise of waterflow to the tank. Accompanied by Collector K. Tharpagaraj, Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu released young fish in the tank on Wednesday as part of fish cultivation by farmers in the region. Officials of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation (TNFDC), which maintains fish farms in the district, said that fish cultivation, including harvesting, is done during May to August due to the steady reduction of hot weather and gradual rise in water level due to south-west monsoon. These months also help to retain adequate oxygen in the farming area of the tank due to slow evaporation. Also, as the water level is almost steady, fishing in the waters in the tank remains safe for fishermen. 'Local fishermen from the neighbouring Edapalayam village have been doing the job for many years. Such roping of local skilled workers helps to prevent poaching and also provides jobs for them,' S. Velan, Assistant Director (AD), Department of Fisheries (Tiruvannamalai), told The Hindu. At Melathikkan tank, Catla, Roya and Mithila are the preferred freshwater fish varieties that are cultivated with acumen, involving local fishermen and officials of the fisheries department. These fish varieties were chosen at least for two reasons - speedy growth and good taste, especially for spicy fish curries. They weighed over one kg in three months after they were left in the tank. As per norms, each hectare of tank area, on average, should release around 2,000 fish should be released to maintain the fish growth in the tank. In other words, 60% of the total area of the tank should be the total number of fish released. Divided into forenoon and afternoon, fishing in the tank will be done by 18 units of local fishermen, closely monitored by the officials. Each unit has at least two fishermen in a coracle with a target of 20kg per team everyday. In other words, fishing in the tank should yield at least 0.5 tonnes (500 kgs) daily especially during the peak month of August. These fishermen are paid on a daily basis. Of the total catch, one-third goes for local consumption with the rest goes to the government-run stalls and buyers in the State.
