World class Horticulture University at Karnal

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 3

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal has approved the setting up of a world class Horticulture University at Karnal with its three regional centres at village B-Raiyya in district Jhajjar, Jind and village Dera near Kala Amb in Naraingarh.

          While stating this here today, an official spokesman said that this being the future university, Global Expression of Interest would be invited to have best of the world standards for preparation of detailed project report for finalization of departments and technologies for the proposed university. The state government would seek a budget of Rs 50 crore from the Central Government as grant-in-aid to set up the university and its three regional centres. According to a proposal submitted by CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, the Horticulture University would spread over an area of 700 acres and during its first year, it would cost Rs 206 crore.

          It may be recalled that the Central Government had, in its budget 2014, announced the setting up of one horticulture university in Haryana and one in Telangana with provision of Rs 50 crore for each horticulture university. The Central Government has also sent a written communication dated July 15,2014 to the State Government to identify 400 to 500 hectares of land for action at the level of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).  However, this would be a State Horticulture University which has been clarified by the Central Government in its letter dated December 18,2014.

          There is neither any Central deemed university nor any institute related to horticulture in Haryana. Also, there is no college or university dedicated to horticulture in the state.

          The State Horticulture Department shall act as a nodal department to set up the horticulture university. To begin with, the Horticulture Training Institute located at Uchani in Karnal district and regional station of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar would be used temporarily for starting the university. The Horticulture Training Institute belongs to State Horticulture Department.

          Development of Horticulture Expertise shall be one of the main mandates for the university. To meet the technical manpower required for the horticulture industry of the state, a system of education shall be drawn. There would be certificate and diploma courses to impart skill and working knowledge of the unemployed youth. There is a plan to have field experiments of M.Sc. and Ph.D. students work in farmers’ fields rather than in the plots of the department alone. Important, need based, location specific, farmer-friendly research programmes would be started for post-graduate students resulting into a useful information that would be adopted by farmers at large. Every research finding will have technological validation and demonstration. Large scale demonstration plots would be set up at the campus with farmers’ participation for creation of awareness. The students would be exposed to farm and orchard management and economic use of resources as they would be attached with progressive farmers or entrepreneurs for two-three months. The students would get placement in horticulture industries for skill development.

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