Need to set up a proper research institute in M'wada: Thorat

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Nov 19 (UNI) The Chairman of the University Grants Commission Dr Sukhdeo Thorat has stressed the need for setting up a proper institute to undertake applied research with a permanant staff and experts in the backward region of Central Marahtwada.

Speaking at the function organised by the Swami Ramanand Tirth Research Institute (SRT) here late last evening, Dr Thorat appreciated the research report carried out by the SRTs team on the farmers suicide and said ''the work carried out by the SRT team was on an volunteer basis and there is a need to set up a full fledged proper research institute in the region.'' Dr Thorat suggested that the UGC will extend its support if steps are initiated to convert the SRT into a proper research institute.

Dr Thorat who himself is an ex-student of the city's Milind College, one of the historic educational institute, set up by the late Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, said that the issues of the farmers from the economically backward region like Marathwada are different than the other regions of the state.

Dr Thorat said that it was not the farmers in the drought prone areas were facing debt burden first time and said that it was a traditional feature of these regions where farmers always remain under debt burden due to lack of rainfall and less productivity of their crops compared to the other parts of the country.

However, it has been first time witnessed in these regions, the farmers are taking extreme steps of suicides. He said that there was an urgent need to undertake a research on the issue to find out the basic reasons behind the problem.

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