The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) is seriously exploring options and possibilities to set up a research institute of national importance on the coastline of north Andhra. Meanwhile, high placed sources told The Hindu that ICAR has received a request from Srikakulam Member of Parliament K. Ram Manohar Naidu, who appealed the ICAR to set up a national institute related to marine or fisheries sciences on the Srikakulam coast.

The sources said that the MP had underlined the need for setting up the institute related to marine or fisheries, citing that the Srikakulam district has the longest coastline of above 193 km but it did not have any major academic or research institute till date. “The ICAR is engaged in examining the possibilities to set up any research institute with national importance in Srikakulam district in response to the request,” sources said.

It is learnt that Visakhapatnam has already three institutes related to the field of marine and fisheries sciences including National Institute of Oceanography. Recently, the ICAR has sought reports from the experts, academicians and scientists engaged in the fisheries and marine research on the possibilities to set up any research institute on the Srikakulam coast. In Srikakulam district, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited has proposed to set up a nuclear park at Kovvada on the coast and Andhra Pradesh State government was engaged in developing a port at Bhavanapadu. However, the marine trade is yet to be tapped in the Srikakulam district.

 

 

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