BHUBANESWAR, 18 June 2025: In a move that fulfills a long-pending demand of western Odisha, the state government has announced the establishment of an agriculture college in Balangir and a fisheries college in Sonepur. The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo at the state-level Krushak Samavesh on Tuesday, commemorating the BJP government’s first year in power in the state.
“The Agriculture department has decided to set up a College of Agriculture in Balangir and a College of Fisheries in Sonepur,” said Singh Deo, highlighting the government’s renewed focus on strengthening agricultural education and allied sectors in underserved regions.
The agriculture college at Balangir will become the fourth such institution under the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), joining the ranks of existing colleges in Bhubaneswar, Bhawanipatna, and Chipilima. Meanwhile, Sonepur will host the second fisheries college in the state, complementing the current institution in Rangeilunda, Ganjam district.
The announcement is seen as a partial fulfillment of an earlier promise made by the previous BJD-led state government, which had proposed an agriculture university for Balangir and even allocated ₹1 lakh each in the state’s Agriculture Budgets for 2014–15 and 2015–16. However, that proposal did not progress beyond paperwork.
Efforts to establish a fisheries college in Sonepur had also begun under the previous administration, which had formed a committee headed by the Dean of Agriculture, Chipilima, to prepare a detailed project report. The Sonepur district administration identified a 60-acre site and communicated its suitability to the Fisheries and Animal Resources department in 2023. Despite repeated follow-ups, there was no official response.
The issue gained political traction when Birmaharajpur MLA Raghunath Jagadala raised it during the last Assembly budget session. At the time, Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Gokulananda Mallik denied that any formal proposal had been received, causing widespread frustration in the region.
Tuesday’s announcement now marks a significant policy shift, giving new momentum to educational and institutional development in western Odisha. The proposed colleges are expected to not only enhance academic infrastructure but also contribute to the region’s long-term agri-economic sustainability.
