Cabinet approves setting up a centre in Varanasi for research on new rice breeds

New Delhi: In a move to boost research on developing new breeds of rice and improve yields of existing varieties, the cabinet on Wednesday approved setting up a specialised centre in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The cabinet on Wednesday cleared a proposal by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to set up its South Asia Regional Centre in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.

The centre, which will be opened on the campus of the National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC), will help harness and sustain rice production and develop special rice varieties, an official statement said.

It will help India achieve higher per-hectare yield and improve nutrition content of rice.

Rice is the most important food crop in India, grown mostly during the rain-fed Kharif crop season.

The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) approved the four-laning of Solapur-Bijapur section of National Highway-52 in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The 110-kilometre project is estimated to cost Rs1,889 crore including the cost of land acquisition.

CCEA also approved upgradation and widening of 65 kilometers of the Imphal-Moreh Section of NH-39 in Manipur at a cost of Rs1,630.29 crore.

“Manipur being a landlocked state with almost 90% of the area under difficult terrain presently has only road transport as a means of mass transport system within the state. The project will improve connectivity between Imphal with the eastern part of the state,” an official statement said.