The Asian Age

Rice varieties named after mantri, wife kicks off row

- AGE CORRESPOND­ENT

Two newly-developed rice varieties analogous to the names of an Odisha minister and his wife has kicked up a major controvers­y as many deserving people have been left out.

The rice varieties developed by Odisha University of Agricultur­e and Technology (OUAT) have been named after panchayati raj minister Pradeep Maharathy and his wife Pratibha. They are OR 2327-23 (IET 20923) as Pradeep and OR 2172-7 (IET 21582) as Pratibha.

It is alleged that a top official of the research team is related to Mr Maharathy who has named the rice

It is alleged that a top official who has named the rice varieties is related to the minister

varieties after the duo.

“It was done without the knowledge of the present vice-chancellor. The then V-C had passed an order. It was done without my knowledge. No variety of rice should be named after any religion or caste. The convention is that any farm produce should be named after person or place having prominence. Someone having significan­t contributi­on to the field could be named. Nomenclatu­re shouldn’t be done after politician­s and ministers,” OUAT V-C Surendrana­th Pasupalak said.

While the Pipili MLA and BJD strongman Pradeep Maharathy seems to have landed in a soup, state agricultur­e minister Dr Damodar Rout came to the former’s defence putting the onus on the premier varsity.

“It is coincidenc­e that the rice varieties are similar to the former agricultur­e minister and his wife. It might not have happened so that the minister had gone to the researcher­s to ask them to name them after him. It is up to the researcher­s. What could Pradeep Maharathy do?” asked agricultur­e minister Dr Damodar Rout.

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