Puducherry Governor visits MSSRF Biovillage

Puducherry, December 11, 2017: The Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Dr Kiran Bedi visited the Biocentre of MSSRF at Pilliyarkuppam along with government officials. The activities of the Biocentre were explained to the Lt. Governor and she visited the facilities including the Plant Clinic, Agri Knowledge Centre, Mobile Soil and Water Testing Laboratory and integrated farming systems. Making a presentation on the occasion, Dr V Selvam shared that i) water management ii) organic farming and iii) periurban agriculture will be focus of MSRRF in the next five years in Puducherry. Dr Kiran Bedi also interacted with members of the Innuyir Grama Sangham, which has more than 3000 women members and Pasumai Farmer Producer Organization with the strength of about 500 farmers. The women shared their experiences in working with MSSRF in natural resource management, livelihood and rural institutional building and also explained how now they are technically, socially and financially empowered to take their own decision.

While appreciating MSSRF’s efforts, the Lt Governor suggested that MSSRF and other organizations such as Gloria Farm of Aurobindo Ashram should work with the government to bring holistic development covering entire Puducherry to make it a model state for the country. She emphasized that converting waste into useful resources should be part of the developmental initiatives to protect the environment and secure the livelihood of the community.