Hyderabad: Governor Jishnu Dev Varma lauded the role of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), of which he is the chancellor, in sustaining farmer’s livelihood across the nation. He singled out its role in bringing in the sona masuri to drive home his point.Addressing a gathering of students and staff, he said, “The varsity should raise standards to meet the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution. There is a need to focus on harnessing the potential benefits of artificial intelligence by establishing an AI lab. It should endeavour to be a global leader in agricultural research and innovation by 2047. The decision to take up natural farming and its drone academy are good initiatives.” Minister of agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao said, “The university has grown as it has pursued the vision of eminent personalities. It should strive to improve its ranking among agricultural universities across India. A model agricultural farm should be in place at every college for the benefit of the farming community and students. Towards producing industry-ready products, the varsity should bring in changes to the curriculum.” Later, speaking at the kisan mela inside the campus, he emphasized the importance of Telangana in rice production and sought the farmers to diversify with alternate crops like horticulture crops. In his welcome address, Prof. Aldas Janaiah, vice-chancellor of PJTSAU, presented the varsity’s historical 60-year journey. He dwelt about their initiatives to make the university visible amongst the farming community. Prof. Ramesh Chand, delivering the keynote address, highlighted the role of agriculture in the national economy and the contribution of horticulture in agriculture. Former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Nadendla Bhasker Rao, former agriculture minister D.K. Samarasimha Reddy, government agriculture adviser Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Telangana Planning Board vice-chairman Dr G. Chinna Reddy, agriculture and farmers commission chairman M. Kodanda Reddy, Rajendranagar MLA T. Prakash Goud spoke. Former VCs Dr. Padmaraju, Dr Raghava Reddy and Dr Prabhakar Rao were present at the event. Several farmers were feted for their innovative farming practices on the occasion.
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