At the Union Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government decided to set up the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Assam of worth Rs. 155 crore to promote agri-education and realize second green revolution in the northeastern region.
"The work to set up an IARI in Ranchi (Jharkhand) has started. The IARI-Assam was delayed as the previous government did not give land. The current (Sarbananda) Sonowal government has given 587 acres of land and work will start," Union Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters after the meeting.
The Cabinet has approved the agriculture ministry's proposal to set up an IARI in Dhemaji district in Assam. It has also approved 98 positions, an official statement said.
The IARI-Assam would focus more on research activities and will teach 67 MSc students and 106 Ph.D. students, Goyal said, adding that it will promote research in agriculture and benefit eight north eastern states.
Development of north eastern region is a priority for the government and has the potential to bring second green revolution, he added.
"IARI-Assam would work on the agrarian challenges and complexities of North Eastern India in coordination with all existing central and state government research and development Institutions and private sector enterprises," the statement said.
It will be off-campus of IARI, New Delhi, and undertake integrated multi-disciplinary research through Schools of Crop Sciences, Natural Resource Management, and Animal Sciences and Fisheries, it added.