Srinagar: Vice-Chancellor University of Kashmir Prof Talat Ahmad on Tuesday inaugurated a national-level conference on ‘Changing Patterns of Migration’.
The day-long conference, sponsored by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), was organised by the varsity’s Department of Geography and Disaster Management (DGDM).
In his presidential address, Prof Talat called for active involvement of the student community in addressing concerns—natural and man-made—which trigger migrations and the resultant sufferings of the migrants.
“Students are going to be the future leaders of the planet Earth. We will have to train them Tuesday to assess the social and environmental problems to ensure that the planet becomes a better place to live in. When younger people will know about the fallout of these problems, they will be better equipped to address them at grassroots,” he said, congratulating the conference organisers for holding the important and timely event.
Chairperson National Commission for Women (NCW) Ms Rekha Sharma, who was a guest of honour, said migration for economic reasons is a good thing but “we have to evaluate whether we are providing the migrants, who are a part of our GDP growth, better facilities.”
She enumerated various problems being faced by women migrants during and after the course of their migration for livelihood.
“We now have a National Migrant Policy drafted by Niti Ayog which is expected to address a host of challenges concerning migrants, including their social equity, healthcare, housing and education,” she said.
Dean Research at KU Prof Irshad A Nawchoo, a special guest on the occasion, called for academic collaboration and cooperation to discuss the natural and man-made causes of migrations.
Dean School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Head DGDM Prof Shamim A Shah highlighted the aims and objectives of the conference.
Conference Convener Dr Farzana Gulzar, Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, threw light on the theme of the conference and also delivered a vote of thanks.
Two books including ‘Migration: Global and Local Perspectives’ edited by Dr Farzana Gulzar, Dr Sumeer Gul, Dr Shabana Gulzar and Aiman Fayaz, and ‘Entrepreneurship: a road less travelled’ authored by Dr Bilal A Dar were also released by the Vice-Chancellor. A website titled ‘World of Migration’ was also launched on the occasion.
The conference was attended by top academics from within and outside J&K including, among others, Ms Revathy Vishwanath, Deputy Director ICSSR; Prof Jagtar Singh, University of Patiala; Prof Panatula Murali Krishna, SK University Anantapur; Prof Jabir Ali IIM Jammu; Prof Haseena Hashia, JMI New Delhi, Prof Shabir Bhat, former Dean Academics KU; Prof S Mufeed Ahmad, Department of Management Studies KU and Prof Mushtaq Darzi, Director HRDC KU.
