ABOUT KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRA

On the 19th February 1918, the Death Anniversary Day of Late Shri. Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Shri. T. A. Kulkarni, the Principal, and Proprietor of the New English School, Mumbai had the perpetuating the memory of Shri. Gopal Krishna Gokhale, by forming an educational society. Some of his colleagues gave him an assurance that they would join him in his efforts to form such a society. 
In April, he gave tangible shape to the idea and formed a society and named it as "Gokhale Education Society". The society has completed 75 years of its existence. At present there are about one Lakh students on roll participating in education, taking instructions in different disciplines in 10 centers located in Mumbai, Nashik and Thane region with the help of 4,000 members of staff. The society is functioning under the leadership of Principal Shri. S. B. Pandit as Chairman and Dr. M. S. Gosavi, the eminent educationalist and Management Expert as the Secretary.

The Society was founded in 1920, a secondary school adjacent to seaside village Bordi in Thane district. Here, a tiny band of workers devoted there time to education under the leadership of Late Shri. Acharya Bhise earned a unique place in the field of national education. Besides, the institution produced dedicated social workers, who also participated in the National struggle for freedom.

After the independence of the Nation, the organizers felt the strong urge to work for the upliftment of weaker sections, more particularly the tribals whose population in Thane district was more than half a million. Since agriculture is the main occupation of the tribals, they thought of improving tribal agriculture by starting a Center where research, extension, training, and education could be started.

Thus, in the year, 1949, "The Agricultural Institute", Kosbad Hill, Dist. Thane was started under the leadership of Late Padmashree Harishchandra Patil, a founder of Japanese paddy cultivation method and Ex-Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra Agriculture University, and Dr. Jayavantrao Patil, an Agricultural Expert, Ex-Member of Planning Commission, Government of India and Training Organizer of This KVK. He worked with Padmashree Patil and took a keen interest in developing the Agricultural Institute for intensifying agricultural development in tribal areas.