Demand of Central Agriculture University in Nagpur

The Energy Minister of Maharashtra Chandrashekhar Bawankule has asked for thinking over establishing a Central Agricultural University in Nagpur to the Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. In a letter written to Singh, Bawankule has written about his desire to set up an Agriculture University in Nagpur.

He said in the letter, “The previous UPA government had decided to establish five Central Agriculture Universities across the country. Of them one was set up in Jhansi (UP) to serve Bundelkhand region. The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra is reeling under farmer’s suicide crisis. The setting up of Central Agriculture University here would go a long way in reassuring the distressed farmers that the government was firmly behind them and would help them tide over adverse situations related to farming.”

Presently, there is an agriculture university name Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth (PKV) with its headquarters in Akola is present in Western Vidarbha. It is serving 11 districts of the region making farmers and people related to agriculture aware of the ongoing situation in the field of agriculture and the road that lies ahead.

The minister further said in the letter that, “The demand for a separate university for remaining six districts of eastern Vidarbha has met with political opposition in the past. It would be better if a Central University comes up in the centrally-located Nagpur as it would benefit the whole of central India.”

Bawankule in another separate conversation of his with Singh has also urged the union minister to shift bases of National Rain-fed Agriculture Authority (NRAA) to Nagpur from its present location in Delhi.