BAU Foundation Day: Governor urges students to become job providers, not job seekers
Ranchi, June 26: Calling upon students to become entrepreneurs and employment generators, Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Friday urged them to…
Ranchi, June 26: Calling upon students to become entrepreneurs and employment generators, Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Friday urged them to aspire to become job providers rather than job seekers.
Addressing the 46th Foundation Day celebrations of Birsa Agricultural University (BAU), Ranchi, the Governor said agriculture is not merely a source of livelihood but the backbone of the country’s prosperity. He added that the vision of Viksit Bharat can be realised only through a strong and progressive agriculture sector.
BAU scientists should focus on farmers’ welfare
The Governor said the contribution of agricultural scientists should not be measured by the number of research papers, seminars, workshops or training programmes, but by the tangible benefits their work brings to farmers.
He said scientists should regularly evaluate whether the technologies developed by them are reaching farmers’ fields and improving agricultural production, farmers’ income, and their quality of life.
Natural farming has greater potential in Jharkhand
Speaking at the event, Dr Sujay Rakshit, Director of the Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (IIAB), Ranchi, stressed the need to reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers and expand organic and natural farming.
He said Jharkhand has significant potential for natural farming because tribal communities have traditionally lived close to nature. Rakshit also emphasised the efficient use of water resources to improve the state’s cropping intensity, which stands at around 120 percent, below the national average of 140 percent.
BAU produced over 5,000 quintals of quality seeds
Welcoming the guests, BAU Vice-Chancellor Dr SC Dubey said the university produced more than 5,000 quintals of quality seeds of cereals, pulses and oilseeds during the past year. It also produced nearly 8 lakh quality planting materials of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and medicinal and aromatic plants.
However, he pointed out that BAU is functioning with only 15 percent of its sanctioned teaching strength, making college accreditation and improvement in the university’s ICAR ranking a major challenge.
Retired staff, progressive farmers honoured
Six retired teachers and non-teaching employees of BAU were felicitated for their lifetime contribution to the institution.
Five progressive farmers from Chatra, Garhwa, Palamu, Lohardaga and Simdega were honoured for innovative work in seed production, natural farming, fish farming, organic vegetable cultivation and honey production.
Books released, competitions held
Three publications, including the BAU Annual Report (2025–26), Plant Breeding & Genetics Questionnaire, and Thesis Abstracts of Genetics & Plant Breeding, were released during the programme.
In essay competitions held for teachers, non-teaching staff, postgraduate and undergraduate students, Dr Amit Kumar Jha, Shalini Singh, Balram Kumar and Prachi Sharma secured first place in their respective categories.
Abhishek Kumar Yadav and Srishti Pandit won the boys’ and girls’ archery competitions, respectively.
