FOR long years, India has been deliberating on changes to be introduced in the agriculture sector with thrust on modern technology and augmentation in farmers’ income. Not that nothing has been done in this regard so far, yet, the fact remains that India’s agriculture sector is still to wake up to modernisation. Technology has managed to penetrate into the sector with moderate gains. It is, indeed, time to change gears and give full impetus to adoption of modern practices in the agriculture sector. Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s appeal to the farming community to adopt new alternatives, innovations along with traditional agricultural practices is a right call that must be transformed into another revolution in the agriculture sector. Modernisation does not mean overt use of technology and automatic equipment for farming. It entails a change in mindset with an eye on doubling income. For too long, Indian farmers have been dependent upon traditional crop with little thought on diversification. Despite reams of literature on the benefits of diverse crop pattern, the farmer is reluctant to change.

 

INDIAN cricket, as a whole, was involved in a brilliant journey for over a month during the Test, limited overs as well as Twenty20 series with England. Playing true to their character and reputation, the Indians managed to win all the three series but not without a stiff resistance from an ever-improving English side, especially in white ball cricket. The three One-Dayers fought in Pune gave the glimpse of future for both teams. India’s 2-1 series victory was cherry on the season-ending cake before the players jump on to the Indian Premier League (IPL) bandwagon. While England will be happy with the fighting spirit shown by their stars and youngsters, it was again a moment of reckoning for Indian rookies who fashioned the ODI series win. The charm of limited overs cricket is in holding nerves in game-changing situations. In all the three games, Indian youngsters proved their mettle, yet again telling the world that they belong to the highest level. Fielding a team with heavy responsibility on greenhorns and taking the fight to the opposition has been the success story of India’s series win against England. Their performance was a great assurance about bright future for Indian cricket in almost every format.