Chandigarh: On Wednesday i.e. February 24, 2010, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in his letter to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has urged to set up the proposed Borlaug Institute for South Asia at Ladhowal, in Punjab's Ludhiana district. Badal said the state government has already shown its willingness in this direction by offering free land in Ladhowal for the establishment of this institute. As per sources, last year, after Borlaug's death, Badal had written to the Union Agriculture Minister seeking the establishment of a wheat research centre in Borlaug's name in the state.
Further, in his letter, the CM has stated that the Nobel laureate and father of the green revolution Norman E. Borlaug was intimately associated with Punjab. He added in his letter that officials of Punjab Agricultural University (in Ludhiana) and many people of the state still remember Borlaug with great respect and affection. Moreover, Punjab is at the forefront of food grain production in the country. Therefore, it would be appropriate if the proposed institute in memory of Borlaug is established at Ladhowal, in the vicinity of Ludhiana city and in close proximity to Punjab Agricultural University.
