India is ready to supply food stocks to the world if the WTO (World Trade Organization) permits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday. Mentioning his conversation with US President Joe Biden on the Ukraine war, PM Modi said: “Today the world is facing an uncertain situation as nobody is getting what they want. Petrol, oil and fertilizers are hard to procure as all the doors are getting closed. Everybody wants to secure their stocks after this (Russia-Ukraine) war began.”
“The world is facing a new challenge now—the food stock of the world is diminishing. I was speaking to the US President, and he also raised this issue… If the WTO gives permission, India is ready to supply food stock to the world from tomorrow,” he added.
PM Modi and Biden spoke on Monday ahead of the 2+2 dialogue between defence minister Ranjath Singh, foreign minister S Jaishankar and their US counterparts.
On Tuesday, as the prime minister attended the inauguration program of the hostel and education complex of Gujarat’s Shree Annapurna Dham virtually, he said, “In our tradition and culture, a lot of importance is bestowed upon food, health and education. Today, Annapurna Dham has expanded on this… The common people of Gujarat will greatly benefit from the efforts of Shree Annapurna Dham.”
Praising the Patidar community, he added that “it is in the nature of Gujarat that every society fulfils its social responsibility”.
He also praised the efforts of the government in safely bringing back the ancient idol of Goddess Annapurna from Canada to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Over 100 years ago, in 1913, the idol was stolen from a temple in the holy city of Varanasi and smuggled out of the country.
The hostel and education center, inaugurated on Tuesday, has 150 rooms and can lodge up to 600 students. Other facilities there include an e-library, primary health facilities, a TV room, a conference room, etc. Moreover, the Hiramani Arogya Dham will be developed by the Jansahayak Trust and will have the latest medical facilities, including for dialysis of 14 people at once. There will also be a blood bank with a 24-hour blood supply, an around-the-clock medical store, a modern pathology laboratory, and top-class equipment.
The center will also have advanced facilities for Ayurveda, homeopathy, acupuncture, and yoga.