Deputy Director General, Agricultural Education of ICAR, Dr RC Agrawal has urged the scientists, students and administrators to equip themselves for digital education and information because the future belongs to this mode of education and instructions. Addressing the 41st Foundation Day function of Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) on Saturday, he said the challenges of Covid-19 have provided opportunities also.
ICAR has earmarked Rs 400 crore in the budget this year for promoting digital education which is comparatively fast, Agrawal added.
The Deputy Director General said that foundation day of any institution is not only an occasion to boast of past achievements but also to prepare a full proof strategy for future challenges and achieving a roadmap ahead. This is also an occasion to learn from past mistakes and shortcomings, he added.
Dr Agrawal stressed that all agricultural universities should increase their revenue from internal resources so that some of their needs and liabilities could be met out of that fund. At present, the average of internal receipts of farm varsities is Rs 6 crore while highest contribution under this head by a single university is Rs 125 crore.
Being public institutions, the agricultural universities can’t substantially increase fee of students but efforts should be expedited to increase receipts from land, buildings, crop production, infrastructure facilities, training, consultancy services and others, he added.
BAU Vice Chancellor Dr Onkar Nath Singh said that 18 students cracked JRF and SRF examinations while ten students got admission in leading technical and management institutes of the Country and abroad and altogether 542 students were admitted in different regular UG, Master’s in PhD programmes.
He asked the teachers associated with the faculty level guidance and placement cells to strengthen their liaison with the public and private sector for regular lucrative placement of students. Release proposals of nine improved varieties of different crops have been sent to the state government and once it is released its large scale seed production would be started, the VC added.
Dr Sohan Ram, University Professor-cum-Chief Scientist, department of genetics and plant breeding was honoured with Best Scientist Award for the year 2020-21 for his exemplary contribution in varietal development and germplasm maintenance of linseed crop, enhancing the prestige of the university.
UG toppers Ayush Lal Das, Ranchi Agriculture College, Nikita Singh, Ranchi Veterinary College and Anshu Kumari, Forestry College were honoured for their outstanding academic performance.
The students felicitated for selection in prestigious institutions and examinations include RAC graduates Arpita Choudhari (IIM Rohtak), Sakshi Suman (XLRI Jamshedpur), Jagriti Kumari (IRMA, Anand), Rahul Prasad and Joshi Xalxo (NIAM, Jaipur), RVC graduates Dr Nikita Singh (Royal Veterinary College, London University), Dr Asim Kumar (JPSC), Dr Anna Kumari (BPSC) and Dairy Technology College graduate Aditya Jha (IIM Rohtak and XLRI Jamshedpur).