The establishment of Odisha's second agriculture university in the undivided KBK region remains another unfulfilled promise of the state government.
The BJD made this promise in its election manifesto before the 2014 and 2019 general elections to win over voters of Western Odisha. The declaration has remained unrealised despite token budgetary provision of Rs 1 lakh each made in the Agriculture budget of 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Justifying the need for a second university, the state government said in the annual activity report of the Agriculture department for 2014-15, that an agriculture university plays a vital role in education, research and extension in agriculture and allied sectors. The success of agriculture greatly depends on trained manpower.
"Keeping in view the importance of agriculture education, research and extension, also the dire necessity of trained manpower to augment the development in agriculture and allied sectors, steps are being taken to establish the second Agriculture University in the State in the KBK region," the report said.
Leader of the Congress legislature party Narsingha Mishra who has been raising the issue for a long time told TNIE that the promised university was part of the Governor's address in the first Assembly session after the 2014 election. However, it has vanished from the annual report of the department for 2019-20 with no mention.
"The government is widening the regional imbalance in education between the western and coastal regions of the state by not keeping its promise. Many promises made for the western region have remained unfulfilled," Mishra remarked.
BJP MP from Kalahandi, Basanta Panda, said there is no need to set up a separate university as the College of Agriculture in Bhawanipatna, under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), could be upgraded to a university.
With Kalahandi emerging as major rice and cotton-producing district in the country and also the Centre putting up a Soyabean Research Centre, an Agriculture University at the heart of the KBK region will complement education and research in agriculture and allied sectors.
A Regional Research and Technology Transfer Station of ICAR at Bhawanipatna under OUAT is undertaking need-based and location-specific research on soybean for the hot and moist sub-humid climate of Odisha comprising Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput.
Despite several attempts, Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo could not be contacted for a comment.
