Bhubaneswar, Sep 25 - Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has requested the central government to set up a dedicated research centre for management of wetlands and coastal ecosystems at Chilika Lake, Asia's largest saltwater lake, an official statement said here Friday evening.

Patnaik met Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh in New Delhi Thursday and suggested that a 'National Research Institute for Management of Wetlands and Coastal Ecosystems' be established, the chief minister's office said.

Citing that no dedicated research centre in this environmentally important subject was available, Patnaik pointed out that the infrastructure created in the state and the expertise available with Chilika Development Authority (CDA) could be extremely useful in starting such a national institute.

'The Union minister welcomed the proposal and asked the ministry officials to jointly work with the state government officials to formulate the plan,' the official statement said.