A state-of-the-art laboratory complex has been completed at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, under the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.
The facility, located on the Varghese Kurien Institute of Dairy and Food Technology campus, will be officially inaugurated and dedicated to the public by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on June 16.
Alongside the lab inauguration, the Chief Minister will also inaugurate a new girls’ hostel and an auditorium at the Varghese Kurien Institute of Dairy and Food Technology.
The ceremony will be presided over by Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J. Chinchu Rani, while Revenue Minister K. Rajan will deliver the keynote address. University Vice-Chancellor K.S. Anil, Registrar P. Sudheer, and other dignitaries will be present.
Constructed with a financial outlay of ₹32 crore under the NABARD RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund) scheme, the 45,000 sq. ft. lab is equipped for advanced research, testing, and training in disease prevention, health, and food safety.
The lab will offer a wide range of services under one roof, including diagnosis of various diseases, testing of food and drinking water samples, analysis of animal feed quality, and assessment of mineral content in soil — services already provided by the university.
In response to the growing number of female students — who now constitute 70% of the university’s student body — a new hostel with 17 rooms and a total area of 10,000 sq. ft. has also been constructed, with the first floor now ready for occupancy.
Published – June 11, 2025 08:30 pm IST
