Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra has said that the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), will set up a regional research centre of the Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR) in Shivamogga.
The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivaraj Singh Chauhan, has sanctioned the regional centre, the MP said in a press conference in Shivamogga on Tuesday.
The research has its head office at Ludhiana in Punjab. Following repeated demands from Karnataka, the Union Agriculture Ministry had decided to set up its regional centre on the 45 acres of Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, at Navule in Shivamogga, he said.
Karnataka being one of the major producers of maize, the centre would help the farmers. “Maize is grown in over 50 lakh acres in Karnataka, and the State’s production accounts for 15% of the country’s total production. The ICAR and IIMR took the decision to set up the centre in Shivamogga considering climatic conditions among other factors,” he said.
Chikkajajur-Bhadravathi Railway Line
Further, Mr. Raghavendra said he had appealed to the Union Minister of State for Railways, V. Somanna, to sanction new railway line connecting Bhadravati in Shivamogga district and Chikkajajur in Chitradurga district. The Minister had responded positively to the request.
The proposed 80-kilometre stretch line will help connect the Malenadu areas with Chitradurga, Ballari, and parts of Andhra Pradesh. “This line will also be useful once the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant at Bhadravati is rejuvenated. The plant has got its mine sanctioned in Ballari. The proposed railway line will help transport ore,” he added.
Published – January 15, 2025 08:29 pm IST
