By: Beigh Irshad
Ganderbal: With an objective to encourage and create awareness among the unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir for entrepreneurship opportunities in establishment of tree nurseries the Division of Forest Biology and Tree Improvement, Faculty of Forestry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology launched a week-long Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Training Programme on “Developing Commercial Tree Nursery “Sponsored by Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India.
The objective behind such initiative is to make our unemployed youth skilled inparticular field and develop business confidence and entrepreneurial talent in them.
The programme is designed to instill a sense of entrepreneurship among the participants, encourage them to tap the opportunities of tree nursery raising, and enable them to make their ideas sustainable on commercial basis.
The programme initiated with the welcome address by Green Man Of SKUAST Prof. G. M. Bhat, Head Division of Silviculture and Agro-forestry. He emphasized the role of such awareness programmes for instilling an entrepreneurship spirit among the unemployed youth.
Addressing the participants on the inaugural function, Chief Guest, Prof. S. A. Gangoo, Dean, Faculty of Forestry, emphasized the need of these training programmes for instillingan entrepreneurship quality among the unemployed youth and stressed upon theparticipants to establish tree nurseries for the production of quality planting material of commercially important tree species on scientific basis.
Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad Mir, Training coordinator and Scientist, Division of Forest Biology and Tree Improvement, presented the comprehensive details of the activities to be carried under the training programme.
He hoped that such awareness programmes will enable theparticipants to make their ideas sustainable on commercial basis and ultimately benefitthe society at last.
Dr. Mir expressed his gratitude to Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai (Honorable Vice Chancellor, SKUAST Kashmir) and Prof. Haroon R. Naik, Director Planning and Monitoring for their generous and continuous support for the successful implementation of such training programmes.
He also expressed his sincere thanks to Prof. S. A. Gangoo, Dean, Faculty of Forestry and Prof. P.A. Khan, Head of the Division of Forest Biology and Tree Improvement for their guidance and encouragement in organizing the programme.
On the occasion, Prof. P. A. Khan, Head of the Division of Forest Biology and Tree Improvement, congratulated Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad Mir for organizing the programme and expressed his appreciation for the trainee’s interest in raising tree nurseries.
Prof. Khan advised the participants to take advantage of these programmes by strengthening theirmeans of livelihood.
The programme was also attended by Prof. A. A. Wani, Head Division of Natural Resource Management, Prof. P. A. Sofi, Head Division of Forest Products and Utilization, Prof. M. A. Islam, Dr. Vaishnu Dutt, Dr. Amarjeet Singh, Dr. Asif A. Gattoo, Dr. N. A. Pala, Dr.Megna Rashid, Dr. Iqbal Jeelani, Dr. M. Maqbool Rather and other scientists and researchers from various divisions of the Faculty of Forestry.
Finally, Prof. Parvez Ahmad Khan gave the concluded remarks and extended heartfelt gratitude to all those who contributed directly or indirectly to make the event successful.
