Tura, Sept 24: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday graced the 19th Foundation Day cum Annual College Week Celebrations of College of Community Science (CCS), Central Agricultural University (CAU), Sangsanggre, Tura, at Tura District Auditorium.

Attended the 19th Foundation Day of the College of Community Science under the Central Agricultural University in Tura.

Commend the College and the University for their efforts in educating our youth. Wish them the best for their future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/3daksdsVeQ

— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) September 24, 2022

Speaking on the occasion as Chief Guest, the Chief Minister congratulated the faculty and the students for the Foundation Day celebration and recalled the history of the college adding that it has close connection since Late P A Sangma, former Lok Sabha Speaker, was instrumental in bringing this college to Tura and the college can add lot of value not just to students but also to the community as a whole. He also expressed his gratefulness to the past faculties and students for their valuable contribution towards the progress of the college thus far.

He also stated that it is not just education that institutions contribute to the society but research and innovation which is the core part of any institution where different stakeholders work together towards success. Further, he advised that after research and innovation the products made in the college need to be commercialized and manufactured and scale up so that it reaches the public, which brings entrepreneurs and business to the picture for collaboration.

The College of Community Science plays a vital role which is connected to grassroot level where local products and villages are connected and can lead to economic revolution, he said. Mentioning about the increase in the Self Help Groups, he said that there were only 4000 SHGs but now it has increased to 42,000 SHGs in the region, adding that the government is ensuring women are also involved in economic activities of the region.

Further, in order to go beyond producing graduates from the institution and create maximum impact in peoples’ life especially at the grassroot level, the Chief Minister assured financial support and suggested starting pilot projects with entrepreneurs and students in the initial stage.

The Guest of Honour of the function, Member of Parliament, Agatha Sangma, said the College of Home Science as formerly called no longer caters to the sciences related to running a successful household but the technology and the faculties which includes not just women but men have developed and are now revolutionizing the field of food processing, apparel designing, agronomics to name a few. She further admired the motto of the college which says “Do Not Be a Job Seeker but Strife to be a Job Provider”, noting that the subjects these young girls study are specially curated to make sure that they start their own venture.

Vice-Chancellor, CAU, Imphal, Dr. Anupam Mishra, highlighted the courses offered by the University in different colleges located in several states of Northeast India in agriculture and allied sciences including the achievements of the university and also thanked the Government of Meghalaya for its continuous support by providing technology support for Mission Jackfruit and expressed hope that the faculty brings in more success stories with maximum benefit to the people of the region.

While presenting a brief overview of College Achievements Dean, CCS, CAU, Tura, Dr. Jyoti V Vastrad, informed that the College of Community Science had considered Late P A Sangma, Former Speaker of Lok Sabha, as the Founder and Mentor of the College of Community Science. Further, she also presented a detailed report of the college and their achievements through these years and urged the Chief Minister to facilitate the approach road and a bridge towards the college campus.

During the function, Agatha Sangma distributed prizes to the Best House, Best Performer of the Annual College Week and also distributed Certificates to students who had recently attended a training course in textiles in Thailand.

The Deputy Commissioner, West Garo Hills, Swapnil Tembe, FSN Department CCS, CAU, Tura, Prof. Namita Singh, were among others who spoke on the occasion while other dignitaries, officials of different departments, teaching and non-teaching faculties, students of CCS, CAU, Tura attended the function.