Jammu : Prof. B. N. Tripathi, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST–Jammu called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, at Lok Bhavan, Friday.
The Vice Chancellor briefed the Lieutenant Governor on the progress achieved by the University in the areas of education, research, and extension, including major initiatives undertaken under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) and the J&K Climate Innovation Programme (JKCIP).
Prof. Tripathi informed that SKUAST–Jammu has been designated as a Centre/Regional Outreach Unit of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) for Jammu. The Centre will facilitate the collection of region-specific data on crop costs, prices, and farmers’ issues, thereby strengthening evidence-based Minimum Support Price (MSP) recommendations and farmer-centric policy planning.
The Vice Chancellor also apprised about the sanction of an ANRF-PAIR IIT Bombay Hub project under the Partnership for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) for development of an AI-driven agriculture system aimed at enhancing farmer market linkages and operational efficiency, with a focus on traditional products, involving an outlay of over Rs 6 crore.
In addition, an ICAR-NASF project for genome analysis amounting to Rs 2 crore has been sanctioned. He further informed that the establishment of an AICRP Centre for Poultry Breeding at SKUAST–Jammu is at an advanced stage of approval, while regular centres for beekeeping and mushroom cultivation are under active consideration by ICAR. At present, the University is implementing externally funded projects worth approximately Rs 100 crore.
