FM Nirmala Sitharaman seeks work on climate changes
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday appealed to startups to touch upon less glamorous areas, including climate change, millet production and improving the condition of farmers.
Addressing a national level summit to promote startups, Sitharaman emphasised more on climate change and asked the startups to find a solution to combat it as that will have a bearing on the agriculture pattern in the country.
“Of course defence production, renewable energy, nuclear, satellites, space technologies, they are all there. You have already touched upon those areas. I am asking you to touch upon some of those less glamorous areas as well,” Sitharaman told the gathering here.
“My appeal is, more and more innovations coming from the startups for dealing with climate and climate change is going to be absolutely precious,” the finance minister said. She asked startups to work towards improving conditions of farmers, urban dwellers and give a solution through millets for healthy eating.
The startups can also look at markets which can fetch much better price for the farmers, which can also generate lot of employment for them because of the value additions that can be brought in, she explained. She highlighted that importance should be given to climate and its related solutions for a better climatic condition in India.
If the issues related to climate change is not addressed, then it will cost a lot for the Indian economy, which will not be affordable at all, the finance minister warned.
“The across-the-board damages that adverse climate and weather conditions can create is going to be big for any country to subsume, absorb or take on board,” she cautioned the gathering.
Sitharaman pointed out that people can see farmers trying to change their cropping patterns.
The sowing of seeds are being pushed further due to the unpredictable monsoon months, Sitharaman said.
She pointed out that the rainfall that used to happen in the entire monsoon season is now being witnessed within a couple of days, which no city or no rural area can handle. “All these are making farmers rethink about how they’re going to be plowing, sowing, readying the land and also looking at when the crop is going to be coming for harvest,” the Union minister said.