Chief Secretary directed to make the KVKs more vibrant and farmer need oriented
Bhubaneswar: June 25: The Courses in Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT) will be made more industry specific and sustainable growth oriented as per changing climatic conditions and market requirements. This was decided in a high level meeting held under Chairmanship of chief Secretary Sri Aditya Prasad Padhi in secretariat conference hall today wherein Principal Secretary Agriculture & Farmers Empowerment Sri Sourav Garg outlined the issues and the Vice-Chancellor OUAT Prof Surendra Nath Pasupalak placed the operational pan of OUAT for coming 3 years for discussion.
Considering the proposals, Chief Secretary Sri Padhi advised the University to make its course more sustainable growth oriented keeping in view the changing climatic conditions. The university was also advised to make its course more industry specific so as to make the students ‘work ready’ when they pass out of the campus.
Further, Chief Secretary Sri Padhi advised the University to make the Krushi Vigyan Kendras ( KVKs) more vibrant and farmer need oriented. They should operate like the connecting point between the laboratory and the field. The innovative research projects undertaken in KVKs, added Sri Padhi, be made specific outcome oriented leading to actual filed level benefit for the sustainable agriculture.
Replying to a media query after the meeting, Principal Secretary Sri Garg that the meeting deliberated on quality enhancement in research, training, making the OUAT course more industry specific and adding new frontiers like climate change & environment, landscape architecture, conservation, wild life management, man-animal conflict management and IT applications in Agriculture. The details will be worked out soon and steps would be expedited to implement those.
Available data show, presently the extension activities of OUAT are mostly being carried forward through 33 KVKs operating in different parts of Odisha. Each district has at least one KVK. Apart from that there are additional KVKs in the districts like Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh and Ganjam. Around 6 scientists in each KVK lead the research and extension works. OUAT is having its campuses at Bhubaneswar, Chipilima, Bhwanipatana and Rangeilunda There are 10 polytechnic institutions of OUAT in different places. The proposal for having agro-business based polytechnic trades was discussed in the meeting.
The meeting also decided that the students of OUAT would have real time practice with the farmers at GP and village level as a part of their course. Chief Secretary directed to scale up the quality of teaching and learning for training more entrepreneurs than that of job seekers.
Additional Chief Secretary Forest and Environment Sri Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Principal Secretary Finanace Sri Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Principal Secretary Cooperation Smt Ranjana Chopra, Principal Secretary Panchayati Raj Sri Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, Secretary Fisheries and Animal Resource Development Sri Vishal Gagan along with senior officers of Government of Odisha and Professors from OUAT participated in discussions.
