Overview
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, also known as Pantnagar University, is the first agricultural university established in independent India. It was inaugurated by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, on 17 November 1960 as the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University (UPAU) in Pantnagar.
The institution was renamed Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1972, in memory of Govind Ballabh Pant, the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, statesman and recipient of the Bharat Ratna. The university is located in the campus town of Pantnagar, in Kichha Tehsil of Udham Singh Nagar district, near the town of Nainital in the state of Uttarakhand.
Pantnagar University is widely regarded as a harbinger of the Green Revolution in India and has developed into a notable centre for agricultural research and technological innovation in Asia. Its academic and research activities have historically been linked to the modernisation of Indian agriculture, a sector that today employs a large share of the country's workforce and contributes significantly to its economy.
The university's alumni have pursued careers in diverse fields, particularly agriculture, engineering, technology, politics and the civil services. The alumni network includes Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, chief executives of technology and business ventures, and Directors General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology.