No agriculture college in Kota 3 years after university set up
SHOCKING Vicechancellor says proposal sent to state govt to establish constituent college
KOTA: The Kota Agriculture University in Rajasthan, is probably the only dedicated higher educational institute in the country that does not have a constituent college to offer agriculture education to students.
The university was set up in 2013, with a jurisdiction spreads over six districts, including Kota, Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar, Swai Madhopur and Karauli, has just a single constituent college –the College of Horticulture and Forestry in Jhalwar’s Jhalarapatan– that offers graduate and post-graduate courses in horticulture and forestry.
A peer review team of the Delhi-based Indian Council of Agricultural Research, during a visit to the university a couple of months back, raised concern on the absence of an agriculture college under the university.
Stressing the need for an agriculture college, Dashrath Kumar, general secretary of Hadauti Kisan Union, says that setting up of an agriculture college in Kota, will not only provide trained professionals in the agriculture sector but also help in improving its growth.
Vice-chancellor GL Keshwa, says that the varsity has sent a proposal to the Rajasthan government for setting up of a constituent college in Kota.
“A constitute college will offer graduate, post- graduate courses and research programmes to the students of the region,” he says.
“The agriculture college, when established, will offer a four-year Bachelor of Science (Hons) course in agriculture along with a Master of Science and a post-graduate programme.”
The proposed college will have departments in Agronomy, Soil Science and Agriculture, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Plant breeding and Genetics and more than a dozen other departments, he says.
“The university has more than 596 hectare of land in Kota on which the constituent college can be constructed.”
Keshwa further says that the university has asked the state government to create 16 teaching and 31 non-teaching posts for the constituent agriculture college. The construction of the proposed agriculture college that is likely to take four year to complete is estimated to cost ₹17.39 crore.