Vice President to be chief guest at 2nd RPCAU convocation

Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU) at Pusa was recently in the news after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat programme, appreciated its ‘Sukhet Model’ initiative.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will be the chief guest at the second convocation of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU) at Pusa in Samastipur on November 8.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu (HT FIle)

“We had sent an invitation to the Vice President. After we got his consent, we went to thank him,” said vice-chancellor Dr Ramesh Chandra Srivastava under whose guidance the Sukhet model was started and is now set to expand to various districts of the state and outside.

Created in 2016 by converting the erstwhile Rajendra Agricultural University into a central university, the institution was recently in the news after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat programme, appreciated its ‘Sukhet Model’ initiative -- which incentivises waste management in rural management by making available organic fertilisers to farmers and providing assistance for the purchase of LPG cylinders, thus dealing with the problem of pollution and encouraging organic farming.

The VC said that the model has huge potential to transform villages and also generate plenty of resources for the villagers, besides incentives in the form of money for cooking gas cylinders and encouragement for organic farming.

The university has already started preparation for the convocation. The students have to apply by September 15 for obtaining a degree in person. Nearly 750 students are expected to receive their degree in person, said the VC.

“Dr GR Chintala, chairman of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), is also set to visit the university to discuss the Sukhet model and how it could be funded for adoption in other places. Some entrepreneurs and non-government organisations have also evinced interest and want to adopt the Sukhet model. Some people also want to use funds under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) for this. We are setting up units in seven more districts (Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, East and West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan and Saran) except Supaul and Mokama where the units are already working,” said Srivastava.

At the first convocation of RAU in 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind had delivered the Convocation Address and underlined the growing need to modernize agriculture to face the emerging challenges both on the climate and productivity fronts. In 2019, the university had planned to invite Prime Minister to the convocation, but due to political developments, it could not materialise while 2020 was lost due to Covid disruption.

Kovind had, in his address, exhorted the university administration to take the students to the birthplace of India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prassad at Jeeradei in Siwan district to draw inspiration from the personality of great freedom fighter.

Srivastava said a Kisan Mela was organised at Jeeradei in Siwan after that. A big project is also in the pipeline for the place, he said.

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