Best Practices

Objectives of the Practice:

In accordance with the vision of Honorable The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, SIET is working on Rudraksha, a symbol of rich, diverse, and ancient knowledge systems and traditions. Rudraksha means tears of ‘Lord Shiva’ (‘Rudra’ means ‘Shiva’ and ‘Aksh’ means ‘tear’) with its medicinal and holistic properties. Coincidently, our practice is also in tune with National Education Policy 2020. Followings are major objectives:

• Global awareness
• Advocacy
• Promotion of research
• Mass plantation of Rudraksha
• Development of innovative technologies and products using Rudraksha
• Strengthening human resources by developing sustainable solutions from Rudraksha

The Context:

• Rudraksha is a “wonder bead” with huge medicinal and holistic properties. According to ancient literature (Vedas and Purans) Rudraksha means tears of ‘Lord Shiva’ (‘Rudra’ means ‘Shiva’ and ‘aksh’ means ‘tear’) and botanically it’s a fruit having botanical name of Elaeocarpus sp. Large number of pharmacological properties, compositional characteristics, and electromagnetic activities in traditional literature have been mentioned but without any scientific evidences. Hence, the University established “Centre for Research on Rudraksha” for scientific research to prove its medicinal and other qualities.
• There is a dichotomy between western and Indian beliefs where western mind believes in a targeted approach while Indian tradition believes in holistic approach for well-being.
• Inadequate and insufficient documentation poses restrictions in the adoption of traditional medicine.
• Multi-cultural existence or religious factors affect the use as Rudraksha being considered as symbol of Hindu mythology.
• Diminishing biodiversity and a general belief in the society that it can be cultivated only in hilly areas.

The Practice:

Practice and Its Uniqueness:

SIET is actively involved in the global awareness, advocacy, and promotion of research and mass plantation of Rudraksha, since more than ten years. CeRR is working on different domains of research on Rudraksha including but not limited to scientific validation of its medicinal properties; molecular mechanism of action; structural, compositional, and phytochemical characterization; development of chemical and molecular markers; tissue culture propagation for mass production; mass plantation of Rudraksha; innovative product development from Rudraksha with biomaterials, therapeutic and nutraceutical values using nanotechnology and other tools. At SIET, two doctoral research works have already been successfully conducted with international impact, several research scholars are actively pursuing their research work on different domains of Rudraksha.

Thus, the Centre for Research of Rudraksha (CeRR) is one of its kind at national and international platform with the vision to serve the community as a major Resource Centre for the development of innovative technologies and products using Rudraksha for the overall wellbeing and building of healthy society.

Evidence of Success

• The Center has been highly successful in its objectives. Two doctoral thesis have already been completed, others are working.
• 08 original research papers related to Rudraksha have already been published and others are under publication.
• MoU have been signed with start-up company Aanandit Rudraksham Pvt Ltd for commercial development of wearable product of Rudraksha for promoting health & well-being.
• For this purpose skill based training programs have been conducted to train entrepreneurs wishing to enter into commercial production of Rudraksha based products.
• Self Help Groups (SHG) have been formed for providing skills and employment to nearby rural population of Meerut.
• Thousands of plants of Rudraksha have been planted at various locations in India for which the plantlets were raised at SIET campus through grafting from large number of growing trees.
• We have found that Rudraksha is flowering and fruiting in sub-tropical, non-hilly climate like Meerut.

Challenging Issues – Problems encountered.

• One of the biggest challenge is to change the mindset of the research communities specially of western researchers. For them Rudraksha is just another plant and it is difficult for them to accept its holistic and medicinal benefits.
• There is widespread unawareness about the potential of Rudraksha as promising and unique material with great scope for development of innovative solutions. For instance- Rudraksha is an intrinsic electromagnetic bead which can be effectively used to protect from the ever-rising electromagnetic pollution.
• Development of effective prototypes needs huge investment in term of finance. Hence, getting funding is one of the greatest challenge.
• For large scale project Government support is desirable. However, getting this is a further challenge.

Objectives of the Practice:

• To develop a policy advocacy paper on “Doubling Farmers Income by 2022” and “Open Source Digital Technology” as per the mission of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi ji towards adoption of Atmanirbhar Bharat
• To motivate youths for Agri-business, block chain, food processing, organic farming, floriculture, handmade paper, water filters, bio-fertilizers and similar technologies to enhance the skills of youths to gain employment
• To motivate and galvanize rural youths for establishing Tech StartUps in Farm as a Business (FaaB).

The Context:

• Rural economy confronts with its sheer complexity, inadequate factors of production, weather uncertainties, multiplicity of schemes and multiplicity of institutions.
• Indian farmer needs timely, location-specific, and personalized information for effective control on their production, risks and then market their produce to identified market opportunities.
• Lack of awareness of farmers for modern smart technology for agriculture, food processing, reduction of post-harvest losses
• Transport of food products especially perishable items
• Many National level Programs viz., Digital India 2015, Make in India 2015, Skill India 2015, StartUp India 2015 and StandUp India 2015, have faced operational difficulties at grassroots level.

The Practice:

Practice and Its Uniqueness

• 54 Webinars held through National Webinar Series on “Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022”
• 54 Webinars on “Open Source Digital Technologies towards Self-Reliant India”
• 3 Webinars through National Webinar on Skill Empowerment by International Skill Development Centre (ISDC)
• National Webinar on Post Covid19: Uttar Pradesh Sustainable Development 2025, by COE (CADMS) of the University, M/s HPMI and CAFM (IIM), Lucknow.
• More than 10 trainings have been organized to train several students for start-ups in agriculture related business
• Food testing trainings were organized in collaboration with FSSAI mobile food testing laboratory
• Workshops on production of bio-fertilizers and biogas from kitchen waste have been organized
• Workshops on agri-business related skills have been organized
• SIET is advising on production of vinegar from all types of sugary juice materials
• Farmers were trained for Yogic agriculture in collaboration with Brahmkumari Vishwavidhyalaya
• 4-week skill oriented training on “Artificial Insemination” sponsored by Government of India was organized in collaboration with S.V.P. University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut.
• 5th Global Outreach Conference on Agriculture was organized in February, 2020 in collaboration with GOREA
• International Conference on “Modern Approaches on Smart Agriculture” (MASA-2020) was organized in collaboration with ITDS, Ghaziabad
• Several other activities like workshops, conferences and trainings were organized to create awareness for agri-business related ‘startUps”.

Evidence of Success

• 10 Project Proposals for enabling POC in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
• National Federation of Fishers Cooperatives Ltd. (FISHCOPFED), New Delhi, signed MOU with the University to work on Fisheries Informatics Network Value Chain.
• African – Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), New Delhi got associated with the International Webinar Series, to promote in its 33 Member Countries.
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has agreed to incorporate suggestions given in the “Note on Strategic Need for Development of Digital Assets and Regulation of Data Centre in India” of the University.
• Two start-ups have been motivated and soon will take shape
• Various students of SIET and other Universities have been trained and motivated
• Awareness has been created to change the mindset of public towards agriculture as a profitable business
• Farmers have been motivated for organic cultivation of crops.
• 108 Webinars were conducted which ended with one day National Conference on “Strengthening The Vision of Shri Narendra Modi ji, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India-“Atmanirbhar Bharat” with Focus on Agriculture & Digital Technology” held on 11th December, 2021 at Hotel Le-Meridian in Delhi as part of 75th Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava” which was chaired by Dr. Ashok Dalwai, IAS & Chairman, Doubling Farmers Project by 2022. Prof. Dr. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Hon’ble Chairman AICTE and Mr. Bhuwnesh Kumar, IAS and Joint SecrEtary, Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology, Government of India were the keynote speakers.
• Several M.o.Us and StartUps have been started under this program and proceedings of webinars will be published

Problems Encountered and Resources Required

• Funding is the major problem
• We need huge financial resources and man power to contact the farming class to train them for modern smart agricultural technology.

Notes (optional)

• The Government should focus and concentrate on agriculture sector for overall increase of GDP as 57-60% of population depends on agriculture and most of the raw materials of other industry are provided by Agriculture sector.