BHUBANESWAR: Lack of funds and shortage of staff are major challenges for the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) to take up new research work, said vice-chancellor M R Kar here on Monday. Addressing a state-level research council meeting, Kar said the state government has stopped grant to the varsity since 1995.
"Most of our research projects are All Indian Coordinated Research Projects, which were funded by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research. Though the state government has been contributing 25% matching grant, it is not adequate. If the state could release some more funds for research, we could have taken up several local topics," said Kar. There are nearly 51 research projects underway in the university, sources said.
Kar added that there is a huge shortage of scientists in the state, which is a stumbling block for research work in the varsity. "There is a vacancy of nearly 100 scientists in our research centres in the state. It is the prerogative of the state government to decide on the recruitment and we have written several letters to fill up the posts urgently," Kar said.
In the annual council meeting, deans, directors, professors, and agri-scientists from across the state chalked out research plans for the coming year. "Global warming and its impact on agriculture is a worrying subject for scientists in the past few years. We are emphasizing on developing drought and flood resistant crops," Kar said. T Mohapatra, director of Central Rice Research Institute, also advised scientists to develop technologies to solve problems emerging due to climate change.
