– Eight Maharashtra Ministers were also present on the occasion presided over by Dr DY Patil

Mumbai : Former Agriculture Minister and MP Sharad Pawar virtually inaugurated the DY Patil Agriculture and Technical University, Talsande, at an event held in Mumbai on Thursday. The event was presided over by the former governor of Bihar, Tripura and West Bengal, Dr. DY Patil.

As many as eight other Maharashtra ministers viz. Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Agriculture Minister Dadaji Bhuse, Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil, Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant, Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif, Agriculture minister of state Dr. Vishwajeet Kadam, Higher and Technical Education Minister of state Prajakt Tanpure and Health Minister of state Rajendra Patil Yadravkar were also present on the occasion.

Commenting on agriculture, NCP chief and former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said, “If the agricultural growth and progress is evident, the situation of economy will automatically improve. Such universities are essential to uplift and strengthen the core of Indian economic status. New innovations and technological advancements in agriculture through research in such universities will massively help the sector.”

The university will begin its operations from the academic year 2021-22. The curriculum is designed as 50% for pure education, 30% for practical education and the remaining 20% for experiential learning. “The education of this university will not be focusing only on theoretical but also practical knowledge. The curriculum has been decided after considering all the future aspects and prospects,” said Dr Sanjay Patil, president, DY Patil Group.

While one of the university’s specialisation is agriculture, there is equal emphasis on preparing students for careers in Architecture, Management, Engineering and many such domains. Importantly, the university is replete with state-of-the-art connectivity for global webinars and lectures which will allow students or teachers—local or international—to communicate irrespective of their location.

Satej Patil, minister of state and Vice President, DY Patil Group, said the university curriculum will give an impetus to agricultural research. “The variety that the curriculum will offer shall bring out the researchers in students. And the research work done at the university will prove to be a boon for the farmers since much of Maharashtra is dependent on agriculture. The student will be given industry experience while s/he is learning for the same which will make the students caree-ready,” he added.

The main focus of the university will be to promote skill development that will help students for national as well as international careers. Ruturaj Patil, Kolhapur South MLA and Trustee, DY Patil Group, said, “A student will be able to pick the curriculum according to his/her strengths, abilities and preference. Because of that, it will be possible to increase their intellect and creativity. There will be collaborations and partnerships with national and international institutions for research and higher education,” he stated.

While the University is physically located near Kolhapur, the university is national as well as global with international educational tie-ups in process, industry collaborations, renowned international faculty, internships and projects as part of the curriculum.

The admission process for more than 40 courses at UG, PG and PhD level at the university is underway at Talsande, a small village in the Kolhapur district.

About DY Patil Agriculture and Technical University (DYP ATU)

The university aims at multidisciplinary innovation and research programs in the fields of Engineering, Agriculture, Management and Commerce. The university campus is spread across a sprawling 205-acre plot with as many as 4,500 coconut trees along with a facility to produce 30 vegetable-bearing and 20 fruit-bearing plants. The campus can store six crore liters of water and the entire campus maintains its greenery through smart farming and water irrigation. The area is also called the ‘Oxygen Zone’. Not only that, the university is a vibrant residential campus with social, sports and entertainment facilities.

The DYP ATU is a perfect blend of national and international, local and global, physical and virtual, theory and practical. It is one of the most modern universities which will not only meet the needs of Maharashtra or Kolhapur but the needs of skilled resources required by India across all streams and disciplines.

The DY Patil Group was established to help all students get access to higher and technical education. For the last four decades, the group has been involved in medical, nursing, physiotherapy, engineering, agriculture and management among other education sectors.

Timeline:

• 2019 – Decision to start the DY Patil Agriculture and Technical University was taken and wrote a request letter to the state government accordingly
• December 9, 2020 – The proposal was accepted by the state government
• December 15, 2020 – Both the houses (Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabha) of the state government approved the law required to set up a university
• December 28, 2020 – Honourable Governor of Maharashtra signed the proposal and acknowledged the University