NIRF ranking: Two Himachal farm varsities get 14th, 17th ranks

Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University (HPAU), Palampur has been ranked 14th among all the Agriculture and Allied Sectors Institutions in the country while the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni, Solan got the 17th position in the latest National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking released by union ministry of education.

Extending greetings to the staff and students, HPAU vice-chancellor Prof HK Chaudhary, attributed the achievement to the dedicated and collective efforts of all teaching and non-teaching employees. Prof Chaudhary said that among the state universities HPAU was ranked 8th. He exhorted the HAPU team to rededicate themselves to serve the farmers with renewed zeal and zest. He also thanked the ICAR, state government and funding agencies for their support.

Meanwhile, the UHF, Nauni has jumped five places to secure the 17th rank. This year, 152 universities and research institutions and three centrally funded institutes/ universities participated in the agriculture and allied category. The category has been created for the first time for agriculture and allied sectors institutions.

UHF vice-chancellor Prof Rajeshwar Singh Chandel said that the university has also managed to break into the 101-151 band in the universities category. In the overall category, in which 2,478 institutes and 94 centrally funded institutes/ universities participated, UHF Nauni was placed in the 151-200 band in the country. Prof Chandel said that the rankings were very encouraging for the university and the credit for the feat goes to the university faculty, staff and students. In the past year, the University has made efforts to increase student and faculty exposure through international and national training programmes and initiatives have been made to increase linkages with industry and farmer producers’ organisations, said Prof Chandel. Several new initiatives have been taken in academics, research and extension which included starting several new academic programmes and research in new areas, he added.