LG Sinha Inaugurates Solar-Powered Smart Irrigation, Other Facilities At SKUAST-Kashmir

Srinagar, November 11: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that a world-class university in Jammu and Kashmir is a place where the biggest challenges of any country can be transformed into robust solutions.

He was speaking after inaugurating several new facilities at SKUAST-Kashmir.

The LG said that when the Vice Chancellor presented his vision, he had the privilege of inaugurating such a solution.

The first facility inaugurated was a solar-powered Internet of Things (IoT)-based irrigation and fertigation system. The system will understand crop requirements, ensure the right amount and correct timing of water and nutrient delivery up to plant roots, and manage the entire system using solar energy, bringing the Jammu and Kashmir version of this technology to farmers.

Sinha said the facility will prove a great relief for those farmers who wake up day or night and struggle for water in their fields, and can free them from electricity bills.

The second facility is a prototype design and development centre that will strengthen agricultural mechanization, allowing to bridge the gaps between the prototype, Kashmir-based laboratories, and land use.

The LG expressed hope that SKUAST-Kashmir students can take this prototype idea and build necessary tools according to the needs of farming brothers to take Jammu and Kashmir’s pride across the country and abroad.

The third facility is the establishment of the SKUAST Incubation and Extension Directorate, which he termed very important for SKUAST-Kashmir.

While it is true that for a long time career options for agricultural science graduates were limited, major changes have taken place in SKUAST-Kashmir over the past few years, the LG said, adding he wants this Directorate to present a bold and courageous option for them to start their own enterprise.

He told all students of SKUAST-Kashmir that if they want to start seed testing enterprises, establish cold chain-based startups, or start any service related to smart health, they will not only create a livelihood for themselves but also open new employment doors for other young associates in Jammu and Kashmir.(GNS)