13th convocation of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry held

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla presided over the 13th convocation of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, and conferred 12 gold medals to the meritorious students today.

He also awarded 119 PhD degrees in horticulture and forestry.

Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi, who was the chief guest, awarded degrees to the MSc and BSc students.  A total of 816 degrees were awarded during the convocation.

Addressing the students, the Governor expressed contentment that most of the gold medal winners are girls. "This is a good sign as the role of women in agriculture, horticulture and forestry is very important. Increasing dominance of daughters is a good sign for the creation of a better India. I would like this ratio to be even better," remarked Shukla.

He also congratulated the university on its Foundation Day and remembered the contribution of founder of Himachal Pradesh Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar, the first Chief Minister of the state. He said the contribution made by Dr Parmar for Himachal Pradesh has made him immortal.

He said the students have a great responsibility in taking the country and state forward. He also appealed  to the students to break the supply chain of drug mafia and play an important role in making Himachal a drug free state, besides actively disseminating  information about the research to the farmers.

Shukla said apples are grown on about 49 per cent area in the state and contribute 84 per cent to the total fruit production. The economy of apple is more than Rs 5,000 crore. He said the change in weather and maximum use of chemical pesticides has affected everything from fruit production to quality.

The Governor lauded the efforts of the university for securing 18th rank among the agricultural universities of the country in the National Institutional Framework Ranking released by the Government of India and the University's All India Coordinated Research Project Centre on Bees being ranked first in the country by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

He appealed to the degree holders to also adopt self-employment and become job providers. The Governor also released various publications of the University.

The Horticulture Minister said for the first time in the history of the state, the government has released Rs 153 crore to settle all liabilities of apple growers under the market intervention scheme.

The Vice Chancellor, Dr Rajeshwar Chandel, said, "In the last one year, 33 projects worth more than Rs 10 crore have been sanctioned by various financial institutions to the university and 159 projects worth Rs 50 crore have been sent to various institutions for funding. The scientists of the university have published 400 research papers in national and international journals in the last one year," he said.