Odisha is planning to set up a fisheries and veterinary university

New varsity proposed for fisheries and veterinary

Berhampur, Sept 15: Odisha government is planning to set up a university dedicated to fisheries and veterinary science studies, with a view to boosting research in the subjects.

"The colleges under the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), which are dedicated to these subjects, will now fall under the new university, and the proposal is being processed," state Agriculture Minister Pradip Maharathi said.

The minister, who addressed the function of the College of Fisheries at Rangeilunda, a constituent college of OUAT, said the location of the campus of the proposed university and other ancillary matters would be worked out soon.

College of Fisheries, Rangeilunda, in Ganjam district and College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Bhubaneswar, - two constituent colleges of OUAT - were likely to come under the new varsity, Maharathi said.

The new university would boost research in the subjects of fisheries and animal resources in the state, the minister said and asked the fishery students to pursue fish cultivation after their studies. The government would consider giving some dams on a lease basis for fish cultivation by the fishery graduates, he said.

The minister also asked OUAT's Vice Chancellor Manoranjan Kar to develop infrastructure such as playground for girl students and provide air-conditioning for the auditorium of the College and Fisheries before it would be separated from the second oldest agriculture university in the country.

Around Rs 18 lakh would be spent on this, he said. The campus of the College of Fisheries would have WiFi facilities soon, state Energy and Information and Technology Minister Pranab Prakash Das said in response to questions of the college students.

"This facility will be put in place through corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds of the company. I will depute a team to conduct a survey on this and give a proposal to a company for providing this modern communication system," Das said.

PTI