Page 45 - Mann Ki Baat English JULY 2022

With this, Honey Mission has Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
reached the high Himalayan The beekeepers trained under
reaches of J&K, Himachal Pradesh Honey Mission, on an average, are
and Arunachal Pradesh, the successfully earning up to Rs 1.20
dense forests of Maharashtra lakh annually. The annual income
and Madhya Pradesh, the plains of beekeepers has increased by
of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar a substantial 33% across India,
and Jharkhand and several other contributing to their economic
states in the Southern India. empowerment. As many as 96% of
In Assam’s Kaziranga, Honey the beneficiaries of Honey Mission
Mission became a tool to fight have successfully multiplied
poaching while in militancy-hit their bee colonies, which further
Jammu & Kashmir, it became translates into increased honey
the most powerful tool of rural production and higher income.
employment. In 2018, KVIC created And much to the delight of
a world record by distributing the the farmers, beekeeping has
highest number of bee-boxes, i.e., increased their crop yield by 20-
2,330 bee-boxes on a single day 25% due to cross pollination.
in Kupwara district of Jammu & It is this Honey Mission that
Kashmir with the support of Indian alone is contributing to fulfil at least
Army. 5 UN Sustainable Development
A cursory look at the Goals – No Poverty, Zero Hunger,
achievements of Honey Mission Life on Land, Gender Equality and
itself suggests the social change it Quality Education.
has brought about in recent years. As I pass on the baton of
Women constitute nearly 16% of Honey Mission to my successor in
the beneficiaries of Honey Mission. KVIC, I wish this instrument of rural
Of the total beekeepers trained empowerment attains greater
by KVIC under this scheme, heights and yields sweeter fruits
43% belong to the Scheduled to the mankind.

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