SHILLONG: Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare P Rupala on Wednesday said the proposed Central Agricultural University (CAU) in the state was still under the ministry’s consideration while asserting that a university more or less will not harm the agriculture sector.
“We are looking into the matter seriously,” he said adding that MLAs and representatives of the state government have already taken up the matter with the ministry.
The minister’s comments came in response to queries on the demand to set up the CAU in the state for which around 200 acres of land has already been given at Kyrdemkulai in Ri-Bhoi district.
The Centre had planned to set up the university, but instead a college — Central Agriculture College — affiliated to the CAU, Imphal in Manipur is being established at Kyrdemkulai.
“There must have been some reasons for this, but let me tell you, the importance of agriculture sector will not diminish with one less or more institute,” the minister said
The Centre last year had informed the Lok Sabha that there was a proposal to set up a Central Agricultural University in Meghalaya to cater to the state along with Nagaland on the basis of ‘in-principle’ approval obtained from the Planning Commission in 2009.
Subsequently, the Act governing CAU, Imphal was amended, fulfilling the requirement of setting up a separate university in Meghalaya.
Meanwhile, members of the Confederation of Ri Bhoi People also met the ministerand submitted a memorandum demanding that a CAU should be set up in the state which would benefit the people to a great extent.
They also asked the minister to increase the representation of Scheduled Tribes in recruitment at the CAU.
