Cabinet may approve Central Agri varsity in Bundelkhand

Cabinet will consider a proposal to set up Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University at Jhansi, on Wednesday in its meeting.

New Delhi: Cabinet will consider a proposal to set up Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University spread over 70,000 square km at Jhansi in the parched Bundelkhand region, on Wednesday in its meeting.

"The Cabinet will discuss and may approve the proposal to set up Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University (CAU) at Jhansi in Bundelkhand," a source said. Earlier, the government had introduced `Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University Bill, 2012` in the Rajya Sabha last year in May by the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. The bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture by Lok Sabha Speaker in June 2012. The Committee in its report submitted in March this year, had recommended, "...From all points of view Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, qualifies to be the most appropriate location for the proposed CAU rather than Jhansi." The bill was opposed at many stages and even the Committee pointed out that "coming to the legal position of the Bill, the Committee have been hugely disappointed by the lack of clarity about the Entry under which the proposed CAU should be established". The Bill sought to establish an agricultural university called the Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The jurisdiction of the university shall extend to the Bundelkhand region covering seven districts in Uttar Pradesh and six in Madhya Pradesh. In preliminary stage, the bill proposes to establish two colleges in Jhansi and later two in Madhya Pradesh. PTI