NITI Aayog Official Calls for Scientific Backing of Indigenous Knowledge

Imphal: NITI Aayog member Joram Aniya wants modern science to back traditional knowledge systems. She spoke Monday in Imphal at a lecture hosted by the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development. Science must help these age-old practices survive. Young people are leaving villages for jobs and school. This shift threatens traditional livelihoods and agricultural methods.

Aniya pointed to the Apatani agricultural system in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh. Farmers there combine paddy cultivation with fish farming while growing millet on field bunds. It is a working model of biodiversity. "Such knowledge has been accumulated through generations," she said. These traditions are not just cultural relics. They are precise tools for managing resources.

The challenge is maintaining the labor-intensive upkeep of fields. Aniya proposed using biotechnology to stop soil erosion and improve water conservation. Scientists should study these practices instead of treating them as folklore. Documentation remains vital for the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal. Local communities hold deep insights that researchers must integrate into new solutions.

BRIC-IBSD director Nanaocha Sharma confirmed his team is working to conserve regional bioresources. The institute filed for GI tags for two black rice varieties from Manipur. Officials also released a new compendium detailing medicinal plants from the Zingiberaceae family found across Northeast India.