Bareilly

Research and innovation by universities should be guided by the needs of society so that it can help solve problems of women, farmers and other needy sections, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel said on Monday.

She was addressing the 11th convocation ceremony of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly.

"Under the new education policy, universities should assess the skills of their students, identify the issues faced by various sections of society that they can address, and determine how their knowledge can be beneficial to society," Patel said.

"Where do we stand? What are our weaknesses and strengths? What are the needs and challenges? Unless we keep these factors in mind, no one will benefit from our efforts.

"We have 200 acres of land, and we should actively engage with the community. We must make efforts to ensure that students from nearby villages have the opportunity to attend the university, as this has been our goal," she added.

The governor said that she herself has been associated with both agriculture and animal husbandry and her experience shows that "unless we sit with women and farmers and understand their real needs and problems, meaningful solutions for them are not possible".

Sharing her experience of Gujarat, the former chief minister said that in 2003, a campaign was started to connect scientists directly with farmers under the 'Lab to Land' initiative in the western state.

All the ministers, MLAs and public representatives also participated in this campaign and "through a Rath Yatra, they went from village to village and communicated with the farmers", she said.

As a result of those meetings and conversations, positive changes were possible in the villages, the governor said

Patel emphasised that universities should also make efforts to ensure that rural society can directly benefit from their research and knowledge.

Showering praises on President Droupadi Murmu, the UP Governor said, "The President is a source of inspiration for millions of women today. It is a matter of pride that the President herself has come to this convocation to honour all of you, and this is a special occasion for all of you students."

In her message to the students, the Governor said that whatever knowledge they have gained at the university should be used for the benefit of society, especially those in the last strata.

She urged the university administration to come forward and prepare such projects and ensure that they get the budget.

"This budget should be used for research, development and training of students as well as in the interest of the society," she said.

Describing the animal husbandry sector as very important, the governor said that it is not only one of the best mediums of employment generation but also strengthens rural economy.

She called upon researchers and students "not to limit their research to books only, but to try to reach out to farmers and livestock owners by using it practically".

The governor said that keeping in mind the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she took concrete steps towards the quality of higher education, research, innovation, changes in the curriculum and implementation of the National Education Policy in the universities of Uttar Pradesh.

Agricultural universities were also motivated and guided for NAAC assessment and NIRF ranking.

READ MORE: Ghulam Nabi Tantray- a visionary educationist from Bandipora

She noted that Acharya Narendra Dev Agricultural and Technology University located in Ayodhya received an A plus plus grade in the NAAC assessment and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Agricultural and Technology University located in Meerut has received an A grade, which is an important achievement towards improving the quality of education in agricultural universities of the state.