'India not only strengthens food security for its people but also for neighbours...': says IWF president

Mar 08, 2024

Geneva [Switzerland], March 8 : Arvind Kumar, president of the India Water Foundation, emphasized on Thursday that India is one of the very few countries, that not only strengthens food security for its people but also for its neighbours and other countries of the global south when needed.
Speaking at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Arvind Kumar, made a joint statement on behalf of like-minded organizations during the interactive dialogue on the Report of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to Food.
"India is one of the very few countries that not only strengthen food security for its own people with a very strong public food distribution system but also for its neighbouring and other countries of the global south when needed," he said.
Further, he highlighted the initiatives and steps taken by the Indian government to address unsustainable fishing and small-scale fishing is being promoted in the country.
The Blue Revolution, a flagship government scheme, is aimed at achieving economic prosperity in the country.
In this scheme, fishermen and fish farmers contribute towards food and nutritional security through the full potential utilization of water resources for fisheries development in a sustainable manner, keeping in view bio-security and environmental concerns.
The Blue Revolution, with its multi-dimensional activities, focuses mainly on increasing fisheries production and productivity from aquaculture and fisheries resources, both inland and marine.
Moreover, the ministry of agriculture and farmer welfare, the department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries have accordingly restructured the scheme by merging all the ongoing schemes under the umbrella of the Blue Revolution.
The restructured scheme provides focused development and management of fisheries, covering inland fisheries, aquaculture, marine fisheries, including deep sea fishing, mariculture and all activities undertaken by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB).