Chandigarh August 21- Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal while acting swiftly on the call made by Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi during the 76th I-Day celebrations for taking the country forward in the direction of research and innovation today laid the foundation stone of the Regional Research Centre, Kharkhari and Animal Science Centre, Bahal at Bhiwani today. 

On August 15, the Prime Minister in his address to the nation had given a new slogan of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan’. Envisaging the same, the State Government under the dynamic leadership of Sh. Manohar Lal had started working in the direction of promoting research.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that being an agrarian state, today is a special day for the agriculture sector of the state. “Today we have set 2 milestones by replacing the traditional food grains cultivation with new technology as per the needs of the new era. I am sure that these two regional centres of both Universities will make their mark on the strength of research in our agriculture sector,” said Sh. Manohar Lal.

The Chief Minister has also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 16 projects worth Rs 224.56 crore in Bhiwani today.

Meanwhile, on the demand raised by people belonging to the Nayak caste to include them in the list of Scheduled Castes, the Chief Minister assured them that the State Government is ready to extend any possible help to them. He said that talks have been held with the Central Government and in the next one month, this issue will be discussed again with them.

The Chief Minister also approved several local demands raised before him. An amount of Rs. 26 crores was approved by him for the construction of 14 PWD roads. Also, an amount of Rs. 20 crores was approved for the construction of the new 32 roads of the Marketing Board and for the road repairs.

On the demand made by the local residents for the construction of Gym, Community hall, PHC and CHC, Sh. Manohar Lal assured that as soon as the feasibility report regarding all these projects is made, required steps will be taken.

The Chief Minister assured to fulfill the demands related to the Irrigation Department. During this, he also announced that if the land is available, a Shaheedi Smarak will also be built in the Singhani village.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister thanked Gram Panchayat Kharkhari which has provided 120 acres of land for this Regional Research Centre to be built at a cost of around Rs.39 crore.

The Chief Minister informed that the Centre will be made completely ready in two years. Regional Research Centre Kharkhari will conduct research work on all subjects related to horticulture production, which will also include the collection of varieties of fruits, vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, spices etc. available at all places in the country and abroad. Further work will also be done to develop advanced and hybrid varieties of fruits, vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, spices etc. which are resistant to pests and diseases, added Sh. Manohar Lal.

The Chief Minister further informed that high-quality plants and seeds will be made available to the farmers in this Centre. Besides this, research will be done on the development of new technologies, processing of fruits, vegetables, seeds, spices etc and further research will be done on already developed technologies of value addition.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Haryana Animal Science Centre, Bahal of Lala Lajpat Rai Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. The Centre will be built on an area of 9 acres of 4 kanal and an amount of about Rs. 9 crore will be spent on its construction. The Centre will be made completely ready in two years.

Appreciating the management of Lala Lajpat Rai Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Sh. Manohar Lal said that this University is fully cooperating with the State Government to achieve new milestones in the field of animal husbandry.

He informed that this Centre will prove to be very useful for the livestock owners. The main objective behind setting up this Centre is to provide timely diagnosis and treatment to the animals suffering from various health ailments.

With the setting up of this Centre, the local livestock owners will not have to travel to Hisar or Mahendragarh for getting the treatment of their animals. Through this Center, livestock owners will be made aware of the prevention of diseases in animals. The Centre will also have facilities like surgery, obstetrics, diagnostic labs and x-rays. This Centre will also work to increase fisheries in the Bhiwani district, informed Sh. Manohar Lal.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that the State Government is committed to bringing Maharana Pratap Horticultural University, Karnal and Lala Lajpat Rai Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at par with Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University on the world map. And to achieve this target, regional Centres of these Universities are being opened across the State.

The Chief Minister said that the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, one of Asia's biggest agricultural universities has been set up in Haryana. The University through its modern farming techniques has made a huge contribution to making the state and the country become self-reliant in food grains production. But now the time has come that in addition to food grains, special attention should be given to other sectors in agriculture so that a balance can be established in the daily needs of agricultural products.

“Amendments in the agriculture policy are the need of the hour. We are making such amendments aimed at reducing the cost, ensuring less use of water, protecting the environment, producing good quality products and augmenting the income of the farmers and all those who are dependent on the agriculture sector. These two regional Centres whose foundation stone has been laid today will certainly prove to be very helpful in achieving this target,” said Sh. Manohar Lal.

The Chief Minister said that the present State Government is working continuously to take the agriculture sector to new heights in the State. The share of horticulture and animal husbandry is constantly increasing in the agriculture sector. This has become possible because of the crop diversification policies implemented by the State Government, added Sh. Manohar Lal.

He said that Horticulture is also an excellent way for crop diversification. At present, about 7 percent area of the total cropped area in Haryana is under horticulture crops.

“Our target is to increase this to 15 percent by the year 2030. To promote Horticulture, we have established 14 Centres of Excellence showcasing the latest technologies in this field. An amount of more than Rs. 100 crore has been invested in these Centres,” said the Chief Minister.

He said that by promoting animal husbandry, we have worked to increase the income of the livestock owners. “We aim to make Haryana number one in milk production. For every livestock owner, their animals are like companions of their happiness and sorrow,” asserted Sh. Manohar Lal.

He said that like COVID-19, the lumpy skin disease is quickly spreading in animals and we have to take timely action to stop this viral illness. The State Government is ensuring the vaccination of 20 lakh animals. At present, 3 lakh doses of vaccination are available in the state and an order for more than 17 lakh vaccines has been placed, informed the Chief Minister.

Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Sh. J.P Dalal, MP, Sh.  Dharambir Singh, BJP State President, Sh. O.P Dhankar, MLAs, Sh. Ghanshyam Saraf, Sh. Bishamber Valmiki and Sh. Sombir Sangwan, Vice Chancellor, Maharana Pratap Horticulture University, Karnal, Professor Samar Singh, Vice Chancellor Lala Lajpat Rai Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Dr. Vinod Kumar Verma and many other dignitaries also remained present on this occasion.