Upgraded Library, Infra and Research Push in 2026: PAU VC

Ludhiana: 

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is preparing for a significant boost to its academic, research, and infrastructure facilities in 2026. Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal announced that the university has planned wide-ranging upgrades covering academic buildings, student housing, sports facilities, internal roads, digital agriculture, and climate-resilient farming initiatives.

As part of the roadmap for the coming year, PAU will undertake a major library modernisation project with an estimated investment of around ₹12 crore. The upgraded library is expected to be completed by July 2026 and will strengthen academic and research support for both students and faculty members.

To accommodate the growing number of students, the university is also expanding its residential infrastructure. A new hostel is under construction near the Punjab Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (PAMETI), while an additional floor at Hostel No. 15 will soon become operational. Together, these developments will add nearly 80 new rooms for students.

Sports facilities at PAU are also set for enhancement. The university plans to modernise its shooting range by increasing its capacity to approximately 100 points, addressing current limitations and providing students with advanced training facilities. Additionally, astroturf will be installed on the tennis courts to further promote sports activities on campus.

Major improvements to internal road infrastructure are underway as well. Around 16 kilometres of campus roads will be recarpeted and widened. Key stretches, including the road from Gate No. 2 to Parker House, Flower Chowk to the open-air theatre, and routes leading to the Golden Jubilee landmark, will be expanded to improve connectivity and traffic flow within the campus.

Alongside physical infrastructure, PAU is strengthening its clean and green initiatives by increasing plantation drives across the university. The institution is also enhancing value addition in agriculture. Products manufactured at the newly established agro-processing plant will soon be sold through a dedicated outlet near the post office, making PAU-branded agricultural and processed food products available to the public.

The university will promote trait-specific crop varieties such as chapati-focused wheat, canola oil varieties, and basmati rice, which will also be offered at the new sales point.

On the research front, PAU plans to intensify efforts in geospatial intelligence and digital agriculture. Soil mapping projects in selected districts will be conducted using soil spectroscopy to generate precise data on nutrients, acidity, and other key parameters.

The university is also moving towards commercial-scale production of tissue-culture-based potato seed. Upgrades to the tissue culture laboratory aim to enable the production of nearly 10 lakh plants or tubers using advanced tissue culture techniques.

In addition, PAU will focus strongly on developing climate-resilient crop varieties. Special emphasis will be placed on promoting bio-fertilisers to encourage organic farming, along with renewed efforts toward crop bio-fortification.

According to Dr Gosal, these initiatives reflect PAU’s commitment to advancing education, research, sustainability, and innovation, positioning the university for significant progress in the coming years.