Advisor to the Governor, Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, today, urged the youth to come forward and lead the crusade against environmental degradation, which has far-reaching ramifications not only at the national but global level as well.The Advisor was speaking after inaugurating the 3rd International Research Conference on Ecotourism and Environment at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST), here at its sprawling Shalimar campus.Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST, Dr Nazir Ahmad, Director Research, M Y Zargar, Director Ecology, Environment & Remote Sensing Dr. O P Sharma, Head NIH Maryland, USA, Mr. A. H. Khan and Organizing Secretary of the conference, Dr. A. K. Dubey, besides various delegates representing different institutions were present on the occasion.While addressing the audience, Mr. Ganai urged the youngsters to take ownership and walk extra mile in supporting Government’s efforts in environment conservation. “Nature has been kind to us in a way by bestowing us with abundant natural resources. It is our collective responsibility to conserve this treasure for all times to come, he emphasized,” he said. The Advisor urged the scientists and the delegates to share their experiences in the field of research and how the same can be used in preserving nature. "Please put your heads together and suggest ways to scale up eco conservation," he added.
Describing J&K as a traveler’s dream destination, Mr. Ganai said the tour and travel industry will thrive if we promote the state as a prime eco-tourist destination. “Our state has breathtaking locales which can match or even beat the very best in Europe. Ecotourism reams our USP and the travelers are keep coming back as they are fascinated by our natural beauty. We hope to increase the footfall of nature tourists to the state,” Mr. Ganai said, who also holds the Tourism portfolio.Later, the Advisor released a souvenir and publications of Mr. A. K. Dubey and Mr. Imran Khan, besides of two other scholars. He also visited the high-density apple orchard in the SKUAST campus, which has a much smaller gestation period and bears fruit within a year-and-a-half.The VC SKUAST informed the Advisor about the root to fruit technology which is aimed at adopting good agri practices for producing high quality fruit.The Advisor said that the government is committed to diversify horticulture by adopting newer technology to survive the onslaught of emerging market in and outside the country.The conference that began today will culminate on July 31, 2018.