Collective responsibility to protect Earth, says L-G Sinha

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said it is the shared responsibility of all to protect Mother Earth and promote the culture of environmental awareness at all levels of society.

Delivering the keynote address at the Foundation Day ceremony of University of Jammu on Monday, Sinha said, “Our youth must drive development that meets societal needs without compromising ecosystems and optimise the use of resources through modern innovation. We need to adopt a multi-dimensional approach to make the earth better for the future generations.”

In recent weeks, the Jammu region has been hit by multiple rain-induced flash floods and landslides, which claimed scores of lives and wreaked havoc on crops and infrastructure.

“Today, the whole world is affected by natural disasters. There was massive destruction of infrastructure and loss of lives in Jammu and Kashmir," he said, adding that the central government is fully committed to ensuring that normal life resumes once again and the affected people are rehabilitated properly.

He called upon the university to leverage innovation and cutting-edge technology for conservation, integrating sustainability in education and preparing students to address emerging challenges to build Viksit Bharat. He also urged the faculty members to guide and lead youth in their responsibility to balance nature with development.

Extending his heartiest congratulation to the Vice-Chancellor, faculty members, non-teaching staff and students on University’s Foundation Day celebration, the Lieutenant Governor urged to set new and challenging goals and pursue them with a renewed sense of zeal and enthusiasm.

“Today’s occasion is also an opportunity for self-analysis, self-exploration, and self-introspection. I am proud of the exceptional accomplishments of our universities in the recently released NIRF-2025 Rankings. While on one hand these rankings should be seen as a revolution, a transformation in the higher education landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, on the other, we should critically evaluate our rankings and go back to the drawing board to set new goals,” Sinha said.

He observed that the process of change on the campus should continue uninterrupted so that the students remain determined, eager to learn and do something new and have the passion to face the future challenges.

“Real world experience bridges the gap between theory and application. Classroom must be transformed into a thinking room, a room full of curiosity and creativity. Experience-based, interdisciplinary, life-skills and project-based education should be our focus to prepare youth for the unpredictable world,” he further stated.

Sinha exhorted the University to start short-term professional programmes to deal with climate challenges and research on floods and landslides. “The Government of India is fully committed to ensure that normal life resumes once again and the affected people are rehabilitated properly. Once the road connectivity is completely restored, the university administration must send groups of students to serve in different areas and prepare a team of volunteers who will assist and help the district administration in relief and rehabilitation of families affected due to recent natural calamities in the UT,” he said.