The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved nationwide ceremonies to commemorate the completion of 150 years of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’. Addressing the cabinet briefing, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, “Keeping in mind the role of this song in the freedom struggle, it has been decided to organize a nationwide ceremony to commemorate its 150th year.
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Vande Mataram song composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in Sanskrit was a source of inspiration for people in the freedom struggle. According to the ‘India dot GOV’ portal, Vande Mataram was composed in Sanskrit by Chatterjee. It has equal status to the national anthem, ‘Jana-Gana-Mana’. The Union Cabinet also approved the self -reliance mission in pulses – it is a historical initiative that aims to promote domestic production and achieve self -reliance in pulses. The mission will be implemented with a financial outlay of Rs 11,440 crore in a period of six years from 2025-26 to 2030-31.
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Pulses have special significance in India’s crop systems and diet. India is the world’s largest pulses and consumer country. Along with rising income and standard of living, consumption of pulses has also increased. However, domestic production has not been in accordance with demand, due to which the imports of pulses have increased by 15-20 percent. In order to reduce this import dependence, meet rising demands, maximize production and increase farmers’ income, 6-year-old “self-sufficiency mission in pulses” was announced in the budget of FY 2025-26. This mission will adopt a comprehensive strategy, including research, seed systems, field expansion, purchase and price stability.