With ‘animal agriculture’ moving from subsidiary to main occupation in the country, veterinary and animal sciences universities should focus on identifying the transition and chalk out action plans to train students on the latest technologies, opined R.N. Sreenivasa Gowda, founder-Vice- Chancellor of Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU), Bidar.
Delivering his address during the seventh convocation of Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU) here on Saturday, Prof. Gowda said food, nutrition, and livelihood security emerged as the major challenges in the country owing to factors such as expanding urbanisation, fast-growing population, shrinking agricultural land, and adverse impact of climate change.
World Bank report
“The latest World Bank report indicates that India accounts for the largest number of poor people in any country, with 363 million people (about 25%) still living below the poverty line. The prevalence of stunting among children under five years is pegged at as high as 48% and ranks 97th out of 118 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI). ,” he said. Quoting an old adage, ‘Land rich in livestock will never be poor and a land poor in livestock can never be rich’, Prof. Gowda called for a national effort to reach hunger reduction targets and improve household food and nutritional security. He later spoke on topics such as innovations in animal health technology, requirements of veterinary human resources - challenges, etc.
SVVU Vice-Chancellor Y. Hari Babu presented the annual report of the institution. In all, 306 graduates were given degrees and others for their distinction in academic and extracurricular activities. SVVU professor of animal nutrition Y. Ramana Reddy was conferred with the Sri Neelakantaouram Sreerama Reddy Gold Medal, i.e., Best Veterinary Scientist – 2017, for his contributions in research.
