AP: Anant Ambani outlines four-point plan to support farmers through agriculture school
Madanapalle (Annamayya Dist, Andhra Pradesh), Oct 2 (TNT): Reliance Industries Executive Director Anant Ambani on Friday outlined a four-point plan to support farmers through digital education, agricultural technology, animal husbandry and rural entrepreneurship.
He pledged Reliance’s expertise and resources to the Indian School of Agriculture being established at Madanapalle.
Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Rayalaseema Horticulture Hub and the Indian School of Agriculture, attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Ambani said the institution would combine artificial intelligence with traditional farming knowledge to improve farmers’ incomes.
Announcing Key initiatives, he said Jio will collaborate with the Indian School of Agriculture to provide training modules to millions of farmers in Indian languages through virtual classrooms in villages. Rural youth could serve as digitally enabled agricultural extension workers.
Reliance will share its expertise through Jio Krishi, its agricultural technology platform, he highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence, drones, robotics, cloud computing, crop-health monitoring and market-price intelligence to improve farming practices and returns.
Reliance proposed cooperation between the Indian School of Agriculture and Vantara’s planned university for wildlife and veterinary sciences, Ambani said modern animal husbandry, combined with traditional animal care, could generate wealth and employment in rural areas.
The school would equip young people with skills, technology and entrepreneurial opportunities to build successful careers in agriculture within their villages, he said.
Ambani said Reliance had been given an opportunity to invest Rs 1 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh to establish compressed biogas (CBG) plants.
According to him, the projects could generate more than three lakh jobs and nearly Rs 60,000 crore in revenue for the state over the coming decades.
He said Reliance’s green energy initiatives could help farmers contribute to India’s energy security alongside their role in ensuring food security.
Ambani said Reliance would support the institution through strategic investment, digital capabilities, technical expertise and industry partnerships.
He recalled his grandfather Dhirubhai Ambani’s vision of substantially increasing India’s agricultural output and said the school could help advance that goal.
He also said Andhra Pradesh had approved 388 major projects since June 2024, involving investment commitments of more than Rs 14 lakh crore and the potential to create nearly 11 lakh jobs.
Around one-third of the proposed investments were expected to be directed towards Rayalaseema, he said.
Aligning the initiative with the state’s Swarna Andhra 2047 vision and the national goal of Viksit Bharat, Ambani expressed gratitude to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for inviting Reliance to partner in the project.
“Treat me as a son of Andhra,” he told the Chief Minister, reaffirming Reliance’s commitment to contributing to the state’s development.
Responding to Ambani’s remarks, Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu embraced him and described him as a beloved son of Andhra Pradesh, expressing hope that Reliance Industries would play an even greater role in the state’s development.
Naidu appreciated Anant Ambani for supporting the establishment of the institution and recalled his contribution of electric buses to Tirumala.
TNT KM
