MAFSU VC wants to raise the bar of research

                                                             Dr A K Misra.

                                            World Veterinary Day

MAFSU VC wants to raise the bar of research

By Vikas Vaidya

Dr Aditya Kumar Misra is a versatile personality. He took charge as Vice-Chancellor of Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Fisheries Sciences University (MAFSU) and everything started changing. From work culture to infrastructure, research everything saw quality enhancement. Now he wants to raise the bar of research standards at MAFSU. “I want to raise the bar of research standard. The output of research should be that the teaching should become useful to farmers. I feel that the quality of research should be so that the researchers should get peer award. I believe in image building of a scientist as it gives recognition to organisation too,” pointed Dr Misra.
“Area of research should be in the frontiers and should be based on regional problems, of public utility. Apart from that, the subject or research should include Genomics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, bioinformatics, embryobiotechnology, genetic engineering, cloning, stem cell,” said Dr Misra.
Before Dr Misra took over as VC, MAFSU had received Rs 5 crore, unused it had gone back to Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR). But Dr Misra endeavored and brought back about Rs 3.75 crore. Since the year 2006, the civil works were pending. But Dr Misra is clearing them one by one. These are being completed with full transparency.
“WE are keen to complete the pending work at the same time we want to generate income.  We want to do Carporate Social Responsibility too. As a first step of CSR, we not only have donated to CM drought relief fund but, our teams visited drought-affected areas and attended about 27,000 animals. Our this act was appreciated not only by ministers, secretaries but also by farmers too,” Dr Misra said.

Human and animal have equal place

“Like humans, animals have their own rights. In the man and animal conflict, on some occasions unnecessarily animals are being killed brutally. In fact we have encroached their territory. Because of which the imbalance in nature is taking place. Some people have pet animals but they do not pamper them properly. When you bring that little one to your home, you must take care of it properly, advises Dr A K Misra.

Vaccination is important

Dr A K Misra said, “Every year we celebrate World Veterinary Day on April 27. The theme of this year revolves around vaccination. Prevention is better than cure so vaccination is important. If you take care of the animals then the problem of their diseases would not aggravate. Unlike earlier, now vaccination procedure has become easier. Now new generation vaccines have come and still research is underway.”
A very useful Pentavalent Bluetongue vaccine has been developed and MAFSU has contributed a lot in preparing this vaccine.

MAFSU becomes strict

MAFSU has five Veterinary colleges, six PG institutes, Two dairy development- 1 at Warud and  1 at Udgir, two fisheries science institutes - 1 at Nagpur and 1 at Udgir, 110 Institutes of Diploma in Livestock Management and Dairy Production (2-year diploma),
Four research Farms (Nagpur, Udgir, Igatpuri and Akola). This year about 155 admissions were recorded for MVSc, 33 have registered for Ph.D. Out of 110 diploma institutes, MAFSU has deaffiliated four colleges. 13 colleges were issued show cause notices asking them to improve else face deaffiliation.
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Highlights

-Dr Misra has submitted a proposal for establishing a stem cell research and treatment. The proposal is of Rs 5 crore. A Stem Cell laboratory has already been set up at Mumbai.
- Integrated Livestock Farming project to be done under Rashtriy Krishi Vaigyanik Yojna
- To help farmers those who got ruined, a Goat Poultry Fish scheme being implemented. The project is of Rs 5.26 crore.
-Elite Buffalo Germ Plaza in and around Mumbai to be set up. Generally male calves are not allowed to feed as they are considered useless. MAFSU will adopt such male calves and provide them whosoever needs say for mating. It’s a Rs 2 crore project.
- Cattle breeding farm to be modernised. The Rs 3 crore proposal has been submitted.
- A proposal for a project of Rs 5.75 crore named Improving Sustainable Livelihood to tribals has been submitted.
- Krushak Bhavan has started functioning. For Jagjivanram Girls hostel MAFSU received Rs one crore. It’s of Rs 2 crore project.
- MAFSU gave one-day salary to Chief Minister drought relief fund. In all university gave over Rs 11 lakh for the fund.
- Establishment of backyard poultry to improve milk production
- Fodder museums to be set up throughout Maharashtra
- literature in Marathi would be displayed on website for farmers

Centre for Zoonoses soon

Centre for Zoonoses is a long pending issue. Dr Misra has vowed to complete it. It will be a national centre. The project will have the collaboration of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Nagpur and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS), Sewagram, Wardha. The cost of the primary set up of the project is Rs 85 lakh.

Virtual class room

MAFSU has planned to have interactive teaching and learning through virtual classrooms. VC has demanded over Rs 2 crore for this project. Under this project MAFSU would invite experts to the university or from their places these experts would interact with the students through video conferencing.

Ambulance and treatment to be improved

There are no ambulances all over Maharashtra in Veterinary hospitals. Dr Misra has proposed 6 well-equipped ambulances. The project is of Rs 1.9 crore. The ambulance will have life support system. It will have the facility of lifting the injured or ill animal and put in the ambulance.
Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex (TVCC) will be modernised. MAFSU has received Rs 75 lakh. Dr Misra said, “We will make these hospitals at par with the human hospitals.”

40 per cent  posts vacant

Over 40 per cent teaching and non-teaching posts are lying vacant. Dr Misra said, “We are trying to fill up these posts. Roster preparation is underway. Meanwhile we have asked colleges to appoint qualified persons for 11 months so that work would not get hampered.