Tiruchirappalli, December 10, 2021: IMTI, a leading institute under the Water Resources Department of Public Works Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, engaged in developing and advancing the best practices in irrigation and agriculture, based in Tiruchirappalli, signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM), one of the oldest and premier B schools in the country, to advance the practice of Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) and digital best practices in agriculture and irrigation
space and create a more extensive knowledge/skill base to improve farm productivity, agriculture management, and rural entrepreneurship.
Given their mutual interest in applying management tools and new technology applications in Agriculture, Irrigation, and allied areas using their respective expertise, both the organizations have entered into an academic and research partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding. It will focus on arriving at proofs-of-concept solutions for farm productivity and irrigation management using Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning techniques, knowledge sharing through seminars, conferences, workshops, and training programs, and undertake collaborative research to address the problems related to rural entrepreneurship and rural market assessment.
On this occasion, lauding the efforts of BIM and IMTI, Mr. M. Rajamohan, the Director-General of IMTI, commented, “Government of Tamil Nadu has given the fresh impetus towards augmentation of water resources, including, ensuring uninterrupted supply of water for irrigation, adoption of modern irrigation practices, enhancing agricultural productivity, and strengthening of market linkages, to raise farmers’ income and their livelihood standards. Through collaboration with BIM, combined with our domain expertise and their vast experience in management insights and new-age technological applications, we will work towards the Government’s vision of doubling the cropped area in Tamil Nadu and bringing the state within the top three positions in India for agricultural productivity.”
Expressing happiness over this MoU, Dr. Asit K Barma, Director, BIM, commented, “BIM’s unique program architecture ensures integration of new technology and sustainable development goals with all the courses it offers. For example, a few faculty members (one of them is an agricultural economist from UCAL, US) at BIM are working on Digital and Agricultural Economics to apply digital innovation for transformation in agriculture and irrigation management. We will be excited to work with IMTI to explore digital innovation’s potential to impact smallholder farmers, like the use of digital technology to integrate with electronic national agriculture market (eNAM) for better price discovery and advantage to farmers; leveraging soil health management system; data-driven precision agriculture; integrated irrigation projects where wireless sensors can be deployed for irrigation management, creating a platform for farmers to receive digital knowledge on mobile phones in their language on a real-
time basis for informed decision making; or augmenting the rural supply chain. We also intend to jointly build various proof of concept with the potential to impact farm productivity and rural entrepreneurship.”
About IMTI:
Irrigation Management and Training Institute (IMTI), Tiruchirappalli, was established in 1984 and is functioning under the Water Resources Department of Public Works Department, Government of Tamil Nadu. Its objectives include imparting training to government employees,
increasing agricultural productivity and farm income through farmers’ active participation, and creating awareness and developing and adopting modern irrigation systems and practices.
(http://www.tamilnaduimti.org/index.html)
About BIM, Trichy:
Established in 1984, Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli, is an autonomous school of excellence of Bharathidasan University, professionally run by an independent society. BIM offers two years residential MBA program approved by AICTE with specialization in
Marketing, Finance, Operations, Human Resources, Digital Business, and Analytics; Ph.D. and Management Development /Faculty Development Programs. More than 4000 BIM Alumni spread around the globe are significantly contributing to corporates and society today. Former
Union Minister Bharat Ratna Late Shri C Subramaniam was instrumental in setting up this B School. He was motivated by the idea of starting a School of Excellence in Management that would be organically linked with an industrial complex. His belief was that just as a medical
school needed to be attached to a hospital to be effective as a teaching institution, a Management School had to be linked with industry. Accordingly, the institute was set up in collaboration with BHEL within its sprawling Tiruchirappalli campus. In addition to its graduate program, BIM also has a strong research profile and has established multiple centers of excellence, including Operations Excellence Centre, Financial Trading and Analytics Center (FINTRAC), and Real- Time Contextual Marketing Labs to advance management practice in contemporary areas. Through its in-progress Center for Sustainable Development Goals, it also intends to contribute to the advancement of these goals scholastically. (www.bim.edu)
For further details, contact:
1) Prof D Mahalingam, Assistant Professor, Finance and Economics Area, Bharathidasan
Institute of Management, Trichy; Email: mahalingamd@bim.edu
2) Dr. B. Elangovan, Joint Director of Agriculture, Irrigation Management and Training Institute,
Thuvakudi, Trichy; Email: elangovanbalu@gmail.com; M: +91 98420 07125