Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya

About Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya

Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, BCKV, came into being in West Bengal in 1974. The huge sylvine campus having its teaching, administrative, extension and research units now at Mohanpur, Nadia, WB., has got the district mandates for offering agricultural education both at UG and PG levels, conducting agricultural research as well as organizing extension programmes. Having headquartered or the only teaching campus at Mohanpur, Nadia, its three regional stationsare located in three different agro-climatic zones. One at Gayeshpur with substation at Chakdah to cater to the needs of New Alluvial Agro-climatic Zone (NAZ), one at Jhargram, with substations at Raghunathpur and Sekhampur to cater for the Red Laterite agro-climatic region and one at Kakdwip to cater to the needs of Coastal Saline agro-climatic region.

At present the BCKV is responsible for catering to the needs of agriculture only in the southern districts of West Bengal. The University thus has its Main Campus, three Regional Research Stations and three Regional Research Substations. At the same time the Viswavidyalaya has been strengthened with the creation of two new Faculties of Horticulture and Agricultural Engineering at Mohanpur, taking care of human resource generation in Horticulture and Agricultural Engineering. During this period, a Farmers Training Centre under the Directorate of Extension Education has been organized at Kalyani with necessary facilities of training including accommodation for the trainees. This centre has not only benefited the trainees from different part of the State country but also from all neighbouring states. There is a Medical Investigation Unit (MIU) in the Main Campus to satisfy the health care needs of the students and staff. Since February 2001, however, the Viswavidyalaya has undergone a number of major structural changes. It’s North Bengal Campus at Cooch Behar along with three Northern Regional Stations at Kalimpong, Cooch Behar and Dinajpore have emerged into a new Agricultural University, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya (UBKV) to cater more intensively to the needs of agriculture in North Bengal districts.

Faculty

Agriculture:

http://www.bckv.edu.in/bckv.php?page=c4ca4238a0b923820dcc509a6f75849b1

Horticulture:

http://www.bckv.edu.in/bckv.php?page=1f0e3dad99908345f7439f8ffabdffc413

Agricultural Engineering:

http://www.bckv.edu.in/bckv.php?page=98f13708210194c475687be6106a3b8414

Facilities

Library - The Central library has a collection of 69460 books, 350 Indian Standards and specifications 2600 theses and dissertations, 24368 back volumes of periodicals, 208 current journals (Foreign and Indian), 125 non-book materials and 175 e-documents. Central library is situated at the head of the Viswavidyalaya, as the nerve center of academic, extension and research activities of its about 1552 registered users, comprising 864 U.G. & P.G. students, 243 Research Scholars, 220 teachers, 225 non-teaching staff including officers and other unregistered users from other universities. The average visitor of the library is 200 per day. CentraI Library also GD ROM database service, photocopying services, email and internet services. OPAC, audio-visual, inter-library loan services and consuLtancy services are also available. Central Library has created its in-house databases of books, serials (selective way), theses and dissertations, using CDS/ISIS, WINJISIS & SOUL. While creating databases, Central Library has adopted certain criteria for retro conversion for backlog documents. LAN within the Central Library is available. Networking between the Central Library and faculties of the Viswavidyalaya will be operational very soon.

Directorate of Research - The Directorate of Research at Kalyani is the coordinating-monitoring headquarters of the research stations, sub-stations, units, sub-units and projects spread over the jurisdiction of the Viswavidyalaya. A substantial number of research Projects under various programmes and funding modes operate on farmers’ fields (on-farm trials, FLD trials) at representative locations of three major agro-climatic regions of the State and also at other zones across West Bengal. Several experiments arc conducted in a scientist-farmer participatory manner.

Activities of the Directorate of Research:

• Training - It has become one of the most important activities of the Directorate of Extension Education. With the augmentation in infrastructural facilities in the Farmers’ Training Centre, in the recent years, a series of short as well as long duration training programmes are being offered to a wide cross section of client groups, including farmers, farm women, officials, non officials and representatives from non government organizations, industries and financial institutions etc. For more info -  http://www.bckv.edu.in/bckv.php?page=c74d97b01eae257e44aa9d5bade97baf10

• Farm Advisory Services - The Viswavidyalaya is considered to be a credible source of information by the farming population. One of the biggest constraints for the farmers to carry out their farm related activities has always been their lack of access to reliable source of information, concerning scientific farming practices.

• Farmer-Scientists Interface - The farmer-scientist interface programmes arc arranged for providing required technical advice to the farmers. The programmes were mostly as in situ but sometimes had also been arranged as institution based, depending on the subject matter. The details of the subject matter discussed as well as the number of farmers attending the programmes are provided below. During the reporting period, 287 farmers attended such interface sessions, which were attended by 54 scientists.

• Agricultural Technology Information Centre (ATIC) - The Agricultural Technology information Centre scheme has been launched by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) with an intention of establishing a single window system to the farmers and other stakeholders for solutions to their location specific problems and make available all the technological information along with technology inputs arid products for testing as well as use them at their level. The ATIC in the Viswavidyalaya is yet to become fully operational, activities at skeleton scale have already been initiated during the period under reporting. The folio wing tables provide an account of achievements in respect of various services extended through ATIC. Various services extended through ATIC, ranges from offering the benefit of diagnostic services, sale of technological inputs among farmers, supply / sale of farm publications and organizing farmers’ visit to various units as per interests of the farmers etc.

Directorate of Farms - It Functions in the realm of Agricultural research, Agricultural education and Agricultural extension. The Directorate has 1340.6 acre of land distributed in 12 farms. It's activities include support to research activities of AICRPs/AINPs and Dissertation works of students, auality seed production etc.

Link- http://www.bckv.edu.in/bckv.php?page=a87ff679a2f3e71d9181a67b7542122c4

Placement cell - The placement cell has made remarkable tie-up with important national organizations to assist young technocrats to get suitable placement. Every year campus interview was conducted by various organizations like Fitro Lay, Indofil, Godrej Agrovet, Hind Lever, Syngenta India limited, Coromondal Fertilizers, Agronovo, Pradhan, Needs, State Bank of India, NABARD & several seed producing companies to name a few. This apart, for those from farming back ground & having family business or aptitude to set up their own industry special orientation programmes are being planted to bring about modem concepts to fulfill their dream in to reality. State of art training and conference with the Extension Directorate with LCD projectors, audio systems, air-conditioned seminar hall & video conference centre, with fooding and lodging arrangements are available all under one roof.

Hostel - Residing in the Hostel is compulsory for undergraduate students. But any one can be a day scholar if he/she resides within 15 Km distance from the Mohanpur campus.

Achievements

• Underwater water sampler - Patent has been granted  by the Patent Office Govt. of India for  “Underwater water sampler for collecting water sample for Limnological work (Patent No.  203213  (318/CAL/2001) dt. 31-5-2001) in the name of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya . The sampler has been invented by Dr. Mrinal Dasgupta, Reader (Research) in Fishery, Regional Research Station (New Alluvial Zone), Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Gayespur, Nadia, West Bengal. The sampler is easily portable, simple and inexpensive. It enables sampling of water from different layers of water column without disturbing its properties or composition.

• Underwater soil sampler - Other Patent applications in the name of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya on inventions made by Dr. Mrinal Dasgupta are on Underwater Soil Sampler (Patent application No. 133/KOL/2004. Dt.23-3-2004) and Underwater Water Sampler (Patent application No. 635/KOL/2005, Dt. 20-7-2005).