Bihar Govt removes Sanjay Gandhi’s name from Zoo, dairy institute
The Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden, situated at Baily road in the state capital, will now be known as “Patna Zoo”. Managing body of the Zoo will be known as the Patna Zoo Management and Development Society.
Bihar government has decided to drop the name of late Congress party leader Sanjay Gandhi’s name from two key state-run institutions – a Zoo and a dairy technology institute located in the state capital.
The Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden, situated at Baily road in the state capital, will now be known as “Patna Zoo”. Managing body of the Zoo will be known as the Patna Zoo Management and Development Society.
Similarly, the Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Dairy Technology or Sanjay Gandhi Gavya Pravaidyik Sansthan has been rechristened as “Bihar State Institute of Dairy Technology”. The ICAR-accredited institute, established by the state government in 1980 in Patna, offers BTech and MTech programmes in dairy technology.
State cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has approved the decision.
History of Patna Zoo
The foundation of Patna Zoo was laid by the Government of Bihar in 1960. It was aimed to create a sanctuary for wildlife conservation and public education.
The Zoo was officially inaugurated and opened to the public in 1973 with a small collection of native animals. In 1974, the zoo was expanded with new enclosures and introduction of several endangered species to the collection.
The Zoo is now spread over 153 acres. It houses more than 800 animals of over 110 species.
For over five decades, Patna Zoo has been a cornerstone of wildlife conservation in Bihar, educating millions of visitors and contributing significantly to the preservation of endangered species.
History of Bihar State Institute of Dairy Technology
Founded in 1980 under Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), the institute initially operated on that campus before moving to the Agriculture Research Institute (ARI) campus in Patna in 1986.
The Institute moved to its own campus in the year 1999. From 2010 to 2017, the Institute was a part of Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur.
The institute is now a constituent unit of Bihar Animal Sciences University (BASU), Patna, which was established through an act of Bihar State (BASU Act No. 15 of 2016) as notified in the Bihar Gazette on 29 August 2016.
