Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao will inaugurate the new facility at his official residence on Ganeshkhind Road on Wednesday.
The sprawling lush gardens of Raj Bhavan, spread over 32 acres, will soon have honeybees humming all over, with city-based Central Bee Research Training Institute (CBRTI) identifying 25 bee colonies to be setup on the campus. On the occasion of country’s 72nd Independence Day, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao will inaugurate the new facility at his official residence on Ganeshkhind Road on Wednesday.
The efforts are a part of Honey Mission, co-ordinated by Forest Based Industries (FBI), aimed at spreading awareness and importance of honeybees, its role in pollination, particularly among the visitors at Raj Bhavans across Indian states.
Laxmi Rao, senior scientist at CBRTI and in-charge of this programme said, “We aim to create awareness about honeybees and organise demonstrations on bee-keeping for the thousands of visitors of Raj Bhavans. Initially, we have trained four staffers from Pune and Mumbai Raj Bhavans and they will be certified at the job. Soon, these persons will actively be involved in carrying out demonstrations for the visitors.”
After Pune, the governor’s residence in Mumbai will get similar bee colonies.
“The cost of each colony varies from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000. We have installed colonies at Raj Bhavans in Goa and now it is being done in Maharashtra,” informed Rao.