Union minister lays foundation stone for agri university in AP

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today laid the foundation stone for an agriculture university near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.
The institute is being established at Lam village in Guntur district with Centre's support as the new Andhra Pradesh does not have an agriculture university of its own following bifurcation of the state last year.
Recalling that the Centre had sought to set up agriculture and related institutions in four states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana and Rajasthan, Singh appreciated that AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had responded with utmost speed, while the proposals in other three states have not made substantial progress.

The speedy response from the Andhra Pradesh government resulted in foundation stone being laid today for the agri university, he said.
Noting that Union ministers from AP keep exerting pressure on him for different development endeavours, Singh announced setting up of regional office of a fisheries institute and two other centres of aquaculture.
On the occasion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the government is setting up different central institutions like IIT, IIIT, IISER in different districts of AP with a view to decentralising development.
Noting that the Centre released funds for the backward districts of the state, the minister said it is unfortunate that opposition parties accuse the NDA government of not doing much for Andhra Pradesh.

Appreciating the Centre's help to new Andhra Pradesh on various counts after it faced a crisis following state bifurcation, the CM urged that the agriculture varsity near Guntur be given the status of central university.