North India’s first university of forestry & horticulture set to come up in Gorakhpur

Lucknow: The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the establishment of Uttar Pradesh University of Forestry and Horticulture in Gorakhpur.

The university will be built at a cost of Rs 491 crore, on approximately 50 hectares of land in the Campierganj area. Yogi govt already allocated Rs 50 crore for the university in the budget presented this year.

This fifth university in Gorakhpur will offer BSc, MSc, PhD and diploma programmes in a range of modern disciplines, including forestry, horticulture, wildlife conservation, climate change, natural resource management, agroforestry and fruit and garden cultivation.

Its objective is to increase forest cover, strengthen biodiversity conservation, provide modern training to farmers and students, and promote research in the fields of agriculture and environment.

It will be the first forestry university in North India and the second in the country.

This decision is expected to provide a new direction to green development, food security and environmental balance within the state, said a govt official.

Prior to this, the govt established the world’s first vulture (Jatayu) conservation and breeding centre in Campierganj, Gorakhpur.

On Sept 6, 2024, during the inauguration of the same, chief minister Yogi announced the plan to open a forestry university in the immediate vicinity of the centre.

Gorakhpur forest division identified 50 hectares of land adjacent to the Jatayu conservation centre and expedited the necessary procedural preparations.

Vikas Yadav, divisional forest officer, Gorakhpur, said that there are plans to offer degree and diploma courses, in addition to forestry, in agroforestry, social forestry and horticulture as well to make extensive job opportunities available to young people.