Guv to VCs: Focus on research for solutions to local problems

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 27

Governor NN Vohra has asked the universities to undertake research-oriented projects to find practical solutions to local problems being faced by people of the state.

During his interactions with the vice chancellors of state and Central universities, and from different platforms, the Governor has conveyed his concerns and talked about major climatic, agricultural and environmental challenges confronting the state.

He said the universities, research institutions, policy-makers and government agencies should operate in close coordination to harvest the benefits of advancements in the field of science and technology for the welfare, progress and prosperity. They should find solutions to the day-to-day problems of the people in the state which is vulnerable to vagaries of weather.

He said the universities should not deviate from their goal of undertaking socially-relevant research on problems confronting the state.

On Wednesday, the Governor, during his visit to Central University, Jammu, emphasised that focus should be on taking up research projects on the local conditions of the state. “In the research arena, some projects must relate to finding practical solutions to the problems of J&K,” he said while stressing on collaborating on research work with the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu.

During the 77th Kashmir University Council meeting at Raj Bhawan on April 23, the Governor told Vice Chancellor Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi that the varsity must not deviate from its goal of undertaking socially relevant research on problems in the state and imparting quality education to students.

On April 22, the Governor while chairing the 82nd meeting of the University Council noted vital importance of ensuring effective utilisation of the total corpus of intellectual and scientific resources available within educational institutions to speed up growth and development in the state.

The Governor said for attaining this objective, every university must have wide-ranging research programmes and also ensure that besides pure research, the projects focus on identified major problems in the state. “The implementation of this approach would require inter-institutional linkages both within and beyond the state,” he said.

During the University Council meeting of SKUAST, Jammu, on April 17, the Governor advised the vice chancellors of both farm universities to identify scientifically viable approaches for meeting the rapidly arising challenges posed by climate change which adversely impact food, fruit and vegetable crops.