CM ODISHA URGES PM TO SET UP CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY AT ODISHA

CM ODISHA URGES PM TO SET UP CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY AT ODISHA 15/03/2012

ODISHA NEWS:

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to facilitate the establishment of a Central agricultural university in any of the KBK (undivided Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) districts in Odisha.

Patnaik in a letter to the Prime Minister Dr. Singh said that “I believe that an imporant component of extending the Green Revolution to the eastern region is to establish one or more Central agricultural university in the region, especially in areas strategic to agriculture and possibly in the vicinity of backward districts.”


Stating that Odisha has nearly 64 lakh hectares of cultivable land, Patnaik said that the State can certainly play a vital role in enhancing agricultural production in the country which will go a long way in providing security to the nation.


Adding more Patnaik said that such a university would not only be able to educate and disseminate innovative agricultural practices and pursue research and come up with new innovations in agriculture, but will also address inequities and help develop nearby backward districts.


The Union agriculture ministry has already declared 2012 as ‘year of horticulture’ and Odisha is intensifying horticultural activities particularly in KBK districts to create more opportunities for tribal people, Patnaik said.


Stating that Odisha has only one Agriculture University called the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Naveen said that there is the need for establishment of one more Agriculture University in the State as the work-load of the OUAT has increased in the recent years after the implementation of the Rashriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY), particularly after the introduction of one of its sub scheme, ‘Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India’.





SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA,
BUREAU CHIEF, THESE DAYS,
ODISHA