Gangtok, Aug 13 (PTI) Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the Sikkim Organic Agriculture University (SOAU) at Mondegaon in Soreng district.

Stating that Sikkim has established itself as the country's first organic state, Tamang said SOAU will be a centre of excellence where subjects related to organic farming will be taught.

Hundreds of students from the state go outside to study agriculture, horticulture and forestry, he said, adding that he had met over 500 students in Dehradun itself who were doing urndergraduate and post-graduate courses in these subjects.

With the SOAU coming up in Sikkim, the students of the state will no longer have to travel outside for studying these subjects, Tamang said.

He directed officials to identify temporary spaces for the commencement of courses at the earliest.

The Sikkim assembly passed the Sikkim Organic Agriculture University Act, 2023 earlier this year.

The varsity will also boost economic activities in the remote Mondegaon area, the chief minister said.

"The SOAU will become a hub of economic activities, generating employment opportunities for the local people once the infrastructure is developed within a year," Tamang said. PTI KDK SOM SOM

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