Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

2025-05-10T03:00:42Z

2001:4490:4EB9:70C1:E1E5:BD58:A638:1775: refined structure per sources and added references

{{Short description|Educational institution in Puducherry, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox university
| name = Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veerinary Education and Research
| logo =
| motto = Animaux Soignes Hommes Aimes
| motto_lang = fr
| mottoeng = Animals should be treated like humans
| type = [[Veterinary]] Sciences and [[Animal Husbandry]] education; Research Institute; Public
| established = 1994
| administrative_staff = 51
| affiliation = [[Pondicherry University]]
| city = [[Kurumbapet]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]
| coor = {{coord|11|56|16|N|79|45|49|E|display=inline,title|region:IN_type:edu}}
| country = [[India]]
| website = {{URL|www.river.edu.in}}
}}

'''Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research''' ('''RIVER''') (formerly Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, RAGACOVAS) is a [[List of schools of veterinary medicine|veterinary college]] in [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] (formerly Pondicherry), [[India]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vci.nic.in/index2.asp |title=Veterinary Council of India |website=www.vci.nic.in |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813152826/http://www.vci.nic.in/index2.asp |archive-date=13 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Founded in 1994 in accordance to the standards of [[Veterinary medicine]] education in India, set by the [[Veterinary Council of India]], the college is affiliated to the [[Pondicherry University]]. It is an educational institute for imparting undergraduate and masters specializations in veterinary medicine and animal husbandry, as well as having a veterinary hospital/clinic providing veterinary health care in the region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=River - Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research |url=https://www.river.edu.in/ |access-date= |website=river.edu.in}}</ref>

== History ==
The college was inaugurated on the auspicious day of [[Vijayadashami|Vijayadasami]] that fell on 14 October 1994 at a rented building at Ponlait, [[Kurumbapet]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] and christened as the Pondicherry Veterinary College. The first batch intake of the college was 30. The campus is spread out at two locations, with classrooms at the Ponlait campus and laboratory facilities at the Krishi Vignan Kendra campus.

Pondicherry Veterinary College was rechristened as the Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, named after [[Rajiv Gandhi]], in a state function presided over by [[Sonia Gandhi]]. In due time, a full-fledged {{convert|59|acre|m2|adj=on}} campus was established adjoining the Krishi Vignan Kendra campus at Kurumbapet, Puducherry.<ref name=":0" /> In 2013, RAGACOVAS was renamed as RIVER (Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research).

The clinical training facility was established after a veterinary hospital run by the [[Animal Husbandry]] Department of Puducherry State Government was taken over by the college to establish a full-fledged teaching hospital for imparting veterinary clinical training to the students.

This college, also known as RAGACOVAS, was recognized by the [[Veterinary Council of India]] on 25 November 1999 and the first batch of students passed out with 25 veterinary graduates and their Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry (B.V.Sc and A.H.) degrees recognized by and included under the first schedule of the Indian Veterinary Council (IVC) act.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vci.nic.in/index2.asp |title=Veterinary Council of India |website=www.vci.nic.in |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813152826/http://www.vci.nic.in/index2.asp |archive-date=13 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The college has 56 faculty members mentoring and educating students in 18 academic departments. RAGACOVAS also offers higher education training through Masters in Veterinary Science (M.V.Sc.) programs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ragacovas.com/aboutus.htm |title=Aboutus |access-date=28 June 2013 |archive-date=19 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619133016/http://www.ragacovas.com/aboutus.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Campus location==
The campus is spread across three locations. The main campus<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences Pondicherry – 605009.INDIA. (Map not to scale) |url=http://www.ragacovas.com/college_map.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215110503/http://www.ragacovas.com/college_map.pdf |archive-date=15 February 2012 |access-date=1 December 2008}}</ref> adjoining the Krishi Vignan Kendra campus on the Thirukanur Road,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Map of Pondicherry to College campus (Not to scale) |url=http://www.ragacovas.com/pondy_map.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215110545/http://www.ragacovas.com/pondy_map.pdf |archive-date=15 February 2012 |access-date=1 December 2008}}</ref> at [[Kurumbapet]] which is 6 km from the [[Pondicherry (city)|Pondicherry]] bus station and the railway station. The campus can be reached by buses from Pondicherry to [[Thirukkanur]].

The main campus houses Campus A and B. Campus A consists of the administrative block, departments, central library, herbal garden, mini-zoo and the livestock farm. Campus B<ref name=":1" /> consists of the ICAR block, student hostels, dean's quarters, faculty and non-teaching staff quarters, playground, gymnasium/badminton Court and basketball court. The teaching hospital campus <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=11.942438,79.786953&spn=0.002115,0.003616&t=h&z=18&om=0|title = Google Maps}}</ref> is in the industrial estate at Mettupalayam. The campus can also be reached through Vazhudhavoor Road.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ragacovas.com/pondy_map.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=1 December 2008 |archive-date=15 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215110545/http://www.ragacovas.com/pondy_map.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Academics ==
There are 18 departments:
* Department of [[Veterinary]] [[Anatomy]] and [[Histology]]
* Department of [[Veterinary]] [[Physiology]]
* Department of [[Veterinary]] [[Biochemistry]]
* Department of [[Veterinary]] [[Pharmacology]] and [[Toxicology]]
* Department of [[Veterinary Parasitology]]
* Department of [[Veterinary Pathology]]
* Department of [[Veterinary]] [[Microbiology]]
* Department of [[Veterinary]] [[Public health|Public Health]]
* Department of Animal [[Nutrition]]
* Department of Animal [[Genetics]] and [[Animal husbandry|Breeding]]
* Department of [[Livestock]] Production and Management
* Department of [[Livestock]] Products Technology
* Department of Animal Reproduction [[Gynaecology]] and [[Obstetrics]]
* Department of [[Veterinary Surgery]] and [[Radiology]]
* Department of Clinical [[Veterinary Medicine]], Ethics and Jurisprudence
* Department of Veterinary [[Epidemiology]] and [[Preventive Medicine]]
* Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry [[Extension Education]]
* Department of [[Poultry|Avian Production and Management]]

== Deans ==
* 1994 to 1999: Dr. R. Sabarinathan Nair
* 1999 to August 2008: Dr. G. Butchaih
* August 2008 to June 2009: Dr. P.V. Sreenivasiah, interim in-charge [[Dean (education)|dean]])
* July 2009 to June 2010 Dr. M. Dominic Savio Jegam, interim in-charge [[Dean (education)|dean]])
* July 2011 to 2014: Dr. T.P. Thilagan
* June2014-Nov2017: Dr. B. Ramesh Kumar, Ph.D. (Veterinary Surgery)
* May 2022 – April 2025 : Dr.Sejian Veerasamy MVSc., PhD., Post-Doc (USA & Australia)

== Admission procedure and education system ==

=== B.V.Sc and A.H. ===
B.V.Sc and A.H. stands for Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry and is a [[Doctor of Veterinary Medicine]] equivalent. Presently, RIVER admits a total of 60 students; 30 students from the Union Territory of Puducherry through Joint Entrance Test (JET) conducted by Centralized Admission Committee [[CENTAC]], Government of Puducherry; five seats are allotted through an All-India Common Entrance test conducted by the Veterinary Council of India; five seats are allotted to students from [[Goa]]; five seats for the students from [[Nagaland]]; and five [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|NRI]] seats admitted through an entrance test conducted by RAGACOVAS. Total intake for an academic year is 55 to 60. The education is through a [[semester]] system spanning ten semesters (4.5 years) followed by a compulsory rotatory internship for a period of six months.<ref name=":0" />

=== M.V.Sc.===
M.V.Sc. (Master of Veterinary Sciences) admission is available for eight academic specializations and is through an entrance test. The masters programme is offered in the departments of [[Veterinary]] [[Biochemistry]], [[Veterinary Pathology|Veterinary pathology]], Veterinary [[Microbiology]], [[Animal Husbandry]] [[Agricultural extension|Extension]], [[Livestock]] Products Technology, Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, and Veterinary Clinical Medicine. In each department two seats are given to the candidates belonging to the [[union territory]] of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] and one seat for the candidates from other states. A fellowship amount or Rs.3000/-is supposed to be given to the candidates belonging to the state of Puducherry and the candidates belonging to the other states.<ref name=":0" />

==Campus life ==
Students from all across India study at RAGACOVAS. The day scholars are mostly students who hail from Puducherry; students from other states and districts of Puducherry board at hostels. The campus has separate hostels for men and women.

The campus provides indoor and outdoor recreation facilities. There is a basketball court, an indoor shuttle badminton court, and a gymnasium.

Bus services transport students from across the town to the campus.

== Landmarks ==
* First veterinary college in India to adopt the course curriculum advocated by the Veterinary Council of India, as per minimum standards of veterinary education in India.
* Recognized by the Veterinary Council of India in 1999.
* Masters in Veterinary Science initiated in January 2005.
* 24 May 2006: added to the [[American Veterinary Medical Association]] list of veterinary colleges of the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://search.avma.org/search?q=cache:mRGIENy3y98:http://www.avma.org/education/ecfvg/ecfvg12.pdf+rajiv+gandhi&restrict=sitewide&site=avma_index&output=xml_no_dtd&client=avma_index&access=p&proxystylesheet=avma_index |title=Search Center : Avma |website=search.avma.org |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120802021431/http://search.avma.org/search?q=cache:mRGIENy3y98:http://www.avma.org/education/ecfvg/ecfvg12.pdf+rajiv+gandhi&restrict=sitewide&site=avma_index&output=xml_no_dtd&client=avma_index&access=p&proxystylesheet=avma_index |archive-date=2 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Review on landless livestock farming by women in Southern states of India published at [[FAO]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/AG/againfo/programmes/en/pplpi/docarc/LSP303.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.fao.org |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081107182655/http://www.fao.org/AG/againfo/programmes/en/pplpi/docarc/LSP303.pdf |archive-date=7 November 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Alumni activities ==
RAGACOVAS alumni interact through a website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.laporteragacovas.com/ |title=Laporteragacovas | |website=www.laporteragacovas.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128104428/http://www.laporteragacovas.com/ |archive-date=28 November 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University]]
* [[Kerala Veterinary College, Mannuthy]]
* [[Madras Veterinary College]]
* [[West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ragacovas.com/ RAGACOVAS] Official website
* [http://www.delphesindia.org/index.html/Development Partnerships in Higher education]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}: Collaboration project that addresses issues that concern livelihood security of livestock dependent women self-help groups
* [http://www.laporteragacovas.com/ Laporteragacovas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128104428/http://www.laporteragacovas.com/ |date=28 November 2007 }} Alumni website

[[Category:Veterinary schools in India]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in Puducherry]]

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Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences