Centre to add 60 more seats in NIAM, scrap compulsory stay in hostel: Agri Minister

New Delhi, Feb 19 (PTI) Asserting that youth should be attracted towards farm sector, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday announced that the Centre will add 60 more seats in the PG Diploma in Agri Business Management course offered by Jaipur-based Chaudhary Charan Singh National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (CCS-NIAM).

The government will also abolish the provision of compulsory stay in a hostel, Tomar said addressing the fourth convocation of CCS-NIAM in Jaipur. Currently, the intake of students is about 60 for PG Diploma in AgriBusiness Management.

“To bring more benefits to the agriculture sector in the country and to make the villages more prosperous, the students and youth associated with agriculture should also contribute,” an official statement quoted the minister as saying at the event in Jaipur.

The agriculture sector is important and youth should also be attracted towards it, he said, adding that there are many challenges in the farm sector, which the central government is tackling successfully.

Many challenges like moving towards remunerative crops, crop diversification, elimination of middlemen in the sale of produce are being dealt with in a planned manner, he said.

During the convocation, Tomar gave away diplomas to the students of Post Graduate Diploma-Agri Business Management and medals to the meritorious students. The minister also launched the products of startups, trained and funded by NIAM and distributed cheques for grants.

A startup exhibition and product display was also organized.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary, Member of Parliament Ramcharan Bohra and Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Rajasthan Principal Secretary Dinesh Kumar were also present at the event.