Srinagar, June 24: The 36th University Council meeting of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) on Wednesday approved a series of institutional reforms and discussed three major flagship initiatives aimed at strengthening the university’s national and global profile.
The meeting, held at the Raj Bhavan, was chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah; Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Cooperatives Minister Javid Ahmad Dar; Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo; Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Dr. Ashish Chandra Verma; Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Shailendra Kumar; Chairman, Committee on Reimagining Agriculture, NITI Aayog, Dr. Ashok Dalwai; Deputy Director General, ICAR, Dr. Yashpal Malik; Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari; Vice Chancellor SKUAST-Kashmir, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai; Vice Chancellor SKUAST-Jammu, Dr. B.N. Tripathi; Commissioner Secretary, Planning Development and Monitoring Department, R. Alice Vaz; Registrar SKUAST-Kashmir, Dr. Azmat Alam Khan, besides other senior officials.
The University Council approved the upgradation of the Agricultural Research Information System into a full-fledged Directorate of Information Technology and the Internal Quality Assurance Cell into the Directorate of Quality Assurance. It also approved the establishment of an International Students Cell to strengthen global outreach and provide enhanced support services to international students.
The meeting discussed three proposed flagship initiatives forming part of SKUAST-Kashmir’s future roadmap. These include the establishment of a Centre for Agri Innovation, Analytics and Certification as a National Reference Laboratory, creation of an Agri-Startup Park designed to nurture and host more than 50 startup enterprises, and setting up a Global Veterinary School as an internationally benchmarked institution for veterinary education, research and advanced clinical services.
Addressing the meeting, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha commended SKUAST-Kashmir for its transformation from a regionally focused institution into one with global aspirations. He lauded the university’s achievements in academics, research, innovation, entrepreneurship and international collaborations.
He observed that the university’s ongoing initiatives have the potential to position SKUAST-Kashmir as a leading innovation-driven and globally engaged agricultural university. He also directed the Vice Chancellor to ensure that meetings of the University Council are convened regularly, at least twice every year, for timely review of academic and administrative matters.
Presenting the university report, Vice Chancellor Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai highlighted SKUAST-Kashmir’s progress in national rankings and said the institution has developed the largest startup ecosystem among higher educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.
He informed the Council that the university has secured 123 Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), including patents, trademarks and designs, reflecting a growing culture of innovation and translational research. Prof. Ganai also stated that nearly 30 per cent of the university’s students now come from outside Jammu and Kashmir, indicating its expanding national outreach and improving academic reputation.
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