Govt allocates 50cr for North India’s first forestry varsity

Gorakhpur: The UP govt has allocated Rs50 crore in the 2025-26 budget for the establishment of UP Forestry & Horticulture University in Gorakhpur, making it the city's fifth university and North India's first dedicated forestry institution.
CM Yogi Adityanath had announced this initiative on Sept 6, 2024, during the inauguration of the world's first Jatayu Conservation & Breeding Centre in Campierganj. The Gorakhpur forest division has identified 50 hectare near the conservation centre for the university, with alternate land being arranged to maintain forest cover. The university will offer degree and diploma programmes in forestry, agroforestry, social forestry and horticulture, creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. A technical committee has been formed to finalise the curriculum.
Gorakhpur is already home to four universities: Deendayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology, Mahayogi Gorakhnath University, and Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath AYUSH University. This will be India's second forestry university after Telangana's Forestry College & Research Institute and the fourth globally. The Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, established in 1906, operates as a deemed university. With this initiative, the UP govt strengthens its commitment to environmental conservation and higher education, positioning Gorakhpur as a hub for forestry research and innovation, officials said.