New Delhi: The union government has approved the recommendations to rectify the curriculum as well as its contents by 5th Dean Committee which it says will improve the quality of agricultural education in the country.
The announcement in this regard was made by the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Mr Radha Mohan Singh at the Mahatma Phule Agriculture Vidyapeeth, Maharahstra. He reiterated that all agricultural universities across the country are expected to enforce it at the earliest as it would help students as it would provide quality education in agriculture.
Mr Singh added that for the first time the degrees imparted by Agriculture University in Maharashtra have been given professional status. Now, the strength of ameritus scientists and ameritus professors has been increased. The duration of these schemes has been increased from 2 to 3 years. In addition to this, the amount of remuneration has been increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000.
The Minister further added that Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi had launched Rural Entrepreneurship Development Scheme in 2015 and it will be effective from 2016-17. It is a new programme to impart opportunities for attaining experience as well as entrepreneurship skills on part of agriculture graduates. Under this scheme, the agriculture graduation students will be granted scholarship at the rate of Rs 3000 per month.
Mr Singh said that the objective of pilot studies is to augment knowledge as well as skill as per the requirements of private sector. It also aims at to create belief and competency amongst undergraduate students so as to initiate their own enterprise. The Minister observed that it will trigger helping the students for practicable knowledge as well as skill orientation which will be very much conducive to provide quality entrepreneurship for augmenting strength of agriculture graduates.
The amount related to National Talent Scholarship has been earmarked for post graduate students for the year 2016-17 every month. Apart from this, the sum of scholarship meant for graduation students has been shot up from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 per month.
The Department of Agriculture conducts Pan India Admission Examinations to bestow the degrees of graduation, post graduation as well as Ph.D every year. This year 106321 graduation students and 23727 post graduation students attended the examination. Every year 475 male and female students are granted JRF and 203 male as well as female students are given SRF. Now, it is being decided to increase this strength from 475 to 1000 JRF and from 203 to 5000 SRF.
Mr Singh briefed that an extra mural research programme has been commenced during 2015-16 so as to sponsor and support, short spanned result oriented extra mural projects to concentrate the required needs so that a substantial improvement might be ensued in the quality of agricultural education.
The Minister further briefed that the Department of Agriculture Education has implemented Indo-Africa and Indo-Afghanistan scholarship during the academic year 2010-11. Under Indo-Africa programme 195 candidates as a whole (119 for Master Degree and 76 for Ph.d) have got themselves admitted in higher degree curriculum in 35 Indian Agriculture Universities out of them 108 candidates (80 for Master Degree and 28 for Ph.d) have completed their programmes with flying colours.
Mr Singh stated on this eve that under Indo-Afghanistan programme 182 candidates as a whole (67 students for graduation education and 115 for Phd.) have got themselves admitted for higher degree educational programmes in 38 Indian Agricultural Universities, out of them 30 candidates have completed their master degree programmes successfully. To impart maximum number of registrations on the part of Afghan candidates the span of this educational programme has been augmented upto 2020-2021.
The Minister further deliberated that a scholarship termed as Netaji Subhash ICAR International Scholarship has been initiated during 2009-10 for Phd. programmes meant for foreign as well as Indian candidates in Indian as well as foreign universities. 85 candidates as a whole has been granted scholarship, out of them 17 are Indians and 2 are Egyptian. They have completed their Phd. education in foreign as well as Indian Agriculture Universities.
