On 29th August, 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the College, Administration Buildings of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh through video conference.
i.The Central Agricultural University is expected to improve the education infrastructure and contribute to cutting edge research in agriculture and further farmer welfare.
ii.The virtual event was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Kailash Choudhary.
Key Points:
i.The RLB Central Agriculture University is located in Jhansi and is a prominent institute in the Bundelkhand region.
ii.The University started its first academic session in 2014-15 and offers Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in Agriculture, horticulture and forestry. As the main buildings were getting ready, the classes were operating from Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute in Jhansi.
iii.At present, there are three Central Agricultural Universities in the country and more National Institutions IARI Jharkhand, IARI Assam and Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Integrated Farming in Motihari, Bihar are in line to be established soon.
iv.Under the University, there are three affiliated colleges with students from 22 states studying in the University.
v.Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar pointed out the strengthening of farming activities in North-East by agricultural education and research. The scholarships for the Ph. D students have also been increased to Rs. 31000 per month.
Key points from PM Modi’s Speech:
i.PM Modi highlighted that Farmers can now directly sell their produce to Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), big retailers, and cooperatives. Giving them the freedom to sell their produce in any part of the country.
ii.The Government has also set up a special dedicated fund of Rs 1 Lakh crore for providing better facilities and promoting industries in a cluster based approach in the agriculture sector.
iii.Efforts are being taken to introduce Agriculture as a subject at Middle school level in villages to develop agriculture related understanding in the student’s minds.
It will also enable students to give information about agriculture and modern farming techniques & marketing, to their family members, to promote Agro-entrepreneurship in the country.
iv.He emphasized the importance of connecting farming with Modern Technology by sharing an example of recent locust attack, where Drones and Helicopters were used to control the menace of the Locusts.
Water projects worth Rs 10,000 crore sanctioned for Bundelkhand region
During the address of the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned 500 water projects worth Rs 10, 000 crores to improve the water availability in the drought prone Bundelkhand region.
i.Projects worth Rs. 3, 000 Crore have already commenced in the region, and works have begun on increasing the groundwater level in the region under the groundwater management scheme.
ii.The proposed Ken-Betwa river linking project will change the fortune of Bundelkhand region.
Recent Related News:
i.Asia’s largest solar power project: Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project in Madhya Pradesh is inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, through video conferencing.
ii.‘Guidelines for Evaluation of Nano-based Agri-input and food products in India’ has been released by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Science & Technology, Health & Family Welfare and Earth Sciences and Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
About Uttar Pradesh:
Governor – Anandiben Patel
UNESCO Heritage Sites – Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri
