Holistic Education Should be Given to Indian Youth Regarding Agriculture: Ramesh Chandra Srivastava

Every year the Agriculture Education Day is celebrated on 3^rd December, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who was the first President of Independent India and was also the Union Minister of Agriculture in 1946.

He was one of the famous leaders of the Indian Nationalist Movement and was one of the chief architects in shaping the Republic of India. Dr. Prasad was a strong believer in the maximization of agricultural production, who made the slogan ‘Grow More Food’.

Understanding the significance of ‘Agricultural Education', today, i.e. 3^rd December 3, 2021, at 3 PM, Krishi Jagran organized a Zoom webinar on ‘Importance of Agriculture Education for All’.

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Srivastava, Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University spoke specifically on the topic of Developments in the field of agriculture brought about by education.

In his speech he highlighted that stereotypes against agriculture education should be broken and the mentality that people have about "ki Bhai agriculture padhega to kya kheti Karega?" (Are you going to work on a farm after getting a degree in Agriculture ?)

He also went on to say that now India Has transformed into a startup hub and as a sector that provides employment to 58% of the Indian population, Agriculture needs to be at the forefront fueling them, and for this, a holistic education should be given to the Indian youth regarding Agriculture.

About Dr. Ramesh Chandra Srivastava 

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Srivastava took over the charge of Vice-chancellor of this University on 22^nd Jan 2016. He was born on 1^st July 1956 at Allahabad and completed his school education in Allahabad. He obtained his graduation degree in Agricultural Engineering from Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Allahabad. He obtained Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Soil & Water Conservation Engineering during the years 1978 and 1993, respectively from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

During his service career of about 39 years in the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), he held several prestigious positions viz. Principal Scientist and Programme Leader (2011 onward), Director, CARI, Port Blair (2006 – 2011). Principal Scientist and Programme Leader (1998-2006), Senior Scientist (1983-1998), and Scientist (1978-1983).

Dr. Srivastava has several personal awards/ honors to his credit namely – Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS), Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Award (2003-04), Vasant Rao Naik Award (2001 and 2006), Rajendra Prasad Puruskar (2009 and 2010), Fellow Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers (FISAE), Fellow Institution of Engineers (FIE), Fellow Indian Association of Soil & Water Conservationists (FIASWC), Commendation Medal of ISAE, ASPEE Award of ISAE, Fellow of Confederation of Horticulture Association of India (FCHAI) and 12 Best Paper Awards by various institutions.