Jitendra Singh unveils new lotus variety ‘Namoh 108’; says ‘a grand gift to PM Modi’

This unique lotus has 108 petals and was developed by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) Lucknow.

Union minister for science and technology Jitendra Singh unveiled a new type of lotus flower called “Namoh 108” in Lucknow on Saturday. This unique lotus has 108 petals and was developed by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), a plant-based research center in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.

Jitendra Singh launched 'Namoh 108', a new variety of lotus flower in Lucknow today. (X/@DrJitendraSingh)

Jitendra Singh took to X (formerly Twitter) to share pictures from the flower launch event and wrote, “Lotus is the national flower of India and a symbol of faith for us. Proud to launch new variety Lotus flower ‘Namoh 108’, first of its kind whose genome is completely sequenced for its characteristics. Developed by National Botanical Research Institute Lucknow”

During the event, the Union minister also introduced clothing made from lotus fiber and a perfume named 'Frotus', which is extracted from lotus flowers. The perfume and clothing were developed by NBRI as part of the Lotus Research Program, in collaboration with FFDC, Kannauj, a release from the minsitry said.

Jitendra Singh praised NBRI for naming this unique lotus variety as “Namoh 108”. He said, “It is a grand gift to the relentless zeal and innate beauty of Narendra Modi, coming as it does in the tenth year of his tenure as the Prime Minister.”

“Under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, the Ministry of Science & Technology has successfully initiated various floral projects like #AromaMission, Tulip Project, Namoh #Lotus 108, greatly boosting the agricultural economy,” he added.

The CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute officially introduced the flower earlier on Monday. Director General N Kalaiselvi of CSIR-NBRI said, “It's a joyful coincidence that 'Namoh 108' is presented to the nation a day before Independence Day.” Talking about the number in the name, Kalaiselvi said this lotus variety has been given important identity considering the religious importance of the flower and the number ‘108’.

‘Lotus Mission’

During Saturday's event, Jitendra Singh also launched the “Lotus Mission”, which he mentioned will be executed similarly to previous missions – the National Honey and Bee Mission (NHBM), National Bamboo Mission (NBM), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Gokul Mission, Blue Revolution, Mission Shakti, and others.

“Under the guidance of PM Modi, the Government has now initiated the Lotus Mission after the stupendous success of Aroma Mission. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has reiterated that this Government not only starts a scheme or project, but also ensures that it is capped,” he said.

What's special about this new variety?

This particular kind is better at withstanding different weather conditions, unlike other types of lotus. It can bloom anytime from March to December, making it the longest-lasting among lotus varieties. Unlike others that only flower for about four to five months, this lotus remains in bloom for a more extended period. It's also the first lotus kind whose complete genetic makeup has been figured out to understand its traits.