Review new norms for agriculture colleges

PUCA-PUTIA urges Punjab Government Ludhiana: Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA) & Punjab Unaided Technical Institutions Association (PUTIA) urged Punjab Government to review the newly made rules for the Institutions running Agriculture Courses in Punjab. Dr.Anshu Kataria, President, PUCA said that around a hundred colleges in Punjab are running agriculture courses from past many years as per the norms laid down by Punjabi University, Patiala; IKG-PTU, Jalandhar; MRS-PTU, Bathinda; GNDU, Amritsar. Hence, new norms should not be applicable to the existing Colleges. Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal, President, PUTIA said that a new body has amended the land norms to run B.Sc Agriculture course from 5-acres to 50 acres. "Does a college need to buy 45 acres more land to run a course in a land lock state like Punjab"? Dhaliwal further questioned. Manjit Singh, Senior Vice President, PUTIA & Sh. Amit Sharma, Senior Vice President, PUCA said that it is quite ridiculous in the education sector that to open a Private University in Punjab with limitless seats, government has reduced the land requirement from 35 acres to 25 acres while for defined 60 seats in agriculture course the land requirement has been increased from 5 acres to 50 acres.