SHILLONG: Agriculture Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh on Thursday lamented the inaction of the Union Ministry of Agriculture in setting up the proposed Central Agriculture University (CAU) at Kyrdemkulai, Ri Bhoi.
Speaking to reporters here, Lyngdoh said he had taken up the issue of CAU with Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh recently and had also presented a memorandum to the Union minister.
Lyngdoh pointed out in the memorandum that based on a specific request made by the Ministry of Agriculture in the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), land measuring 226.37 acres was handed over by the state government to the Vice-Chancellor of CAU, Imphal for establishing the varsity.
However, even after receiving the land, the Ministry of Agriculture has been dormant on the matter for the last four years.
Terming the inaction of the Union Ministry as “mystifying,” Lyngdoh said, “What we notice is that DARE had probably sanctioned only a College of Agriculture at Kyrdemkulai and no steps have been taken to establish a CAU as originally committed.”
Stating that the sentiments of the people of the state were hurt, he sought for early action and to immediately order DARE to move a Bill in the Parliament under Entry 64 for setting up of the CAU as an institution of national importance.
He recalled that a statement was made in the Parliament on May 3, 2016 by the Minister of State (Agriculture), Mohanbhai Kalyanjibha Kundariya in reply to a parliamentary question that the central government had decided to set up a Central Agriculture University (CAU) at Umiam.
Lyngdoh recalled that Singh had made another statement to that effect in a video conference with the state officials on June 14, 2017.
