SHIMLA -1 December, 2024-Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla presided over the 13^th Convocation of Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni in Solan district, today. Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi was present as Chief Guest on the occasion.

The Governor conferred 12 Gold medals to the meritorious students on the occasion. He also awarded 119 Ph.D. degrees in horticulture and forestry. Jagat Singh Negi also awarded degrees to the MSc and BSc students. Total 816 degrees were awarded in the Convocation.

On the occasion while addressing the students the Governor lauded their hard work and dedication and said that the ceremony plays a significant role in lives of the children and was one of the milestones achieved due to hard work and dedication. He expressed pride that the majority of gold medal recipients were female students which shows their increasing prominence in higher education and research. He said that this was a promising sign for the progress of the nation, particularly in sectors like agriculture, horticulture and forestry, where women's contributions were invaluable.

The Governor congratulated the university on its Foundation Day and paid tribute to the founder and the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar for his remarkable contributions for the development state. He said that the present state government was also playing vital role in supporting universities and improve the standard of education in the state. He urged students to contribute to the nation's growth by sharing research-based techniques with farming communities.

He called on students to actively address challenges faced by farmers and fruit growers by promoting solutions for sustainable practices and also asked them to suggest farming methods to increasing the earnings of the farmers. He also stressed the importance of a drug-free Himachal Pradesh and urged the students to assist in dismantling drug networks.

Highlighting the state's apple economy, the Governor said that apples account for 8 percent of Himachal Pradesh's total fruit production, valued at over Rs. 5,000 crores. He commended the efforts of the university to promote natural farming and for introducing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the field. He encouraged students to utilise start-up initiatives by the central and state governments to benefit society.

The Governor also praised the university's achievements including securing 18^th place among agricultural universities in the National Institutional Framework Ranking and earning top recognition for its Bee Research Centre. He stressed the need for continuous improvement and urged graduates to explore self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi, while congratulating the university on its 13^th convocation and foundation day, said that Himachal is an agriculture-horticulture dominated State, which has succeeded in increasing the means of livelihood and income of farmers and orchardists by adopting high technology. He added that the State Government was committed to the welfare of farmers and orchardists. “As per the demand of orchardists, the State Government took the initiative to use universal cartons for packing apples, due to which orchardists of the state have got good prices in apple marketing”, said the Minister. It was for the first time in the history of the state, the government has released Rs. 153 crore to settle all the liabilities of apple growers under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and the support price of apple has been increased by Rs. 1.50 per kg. He said that the State Government has fixed the minimum support price of maize produced through natural farming at Rs. 30 per kg.

He said that under the HP-Shiva project of Rs. 1,292 crore, the target was to bring 6000 hectares of area under horticulture in 28 development blocks of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur, Solan and Una by the year 2028, which would benefit more than 15 thousand horticultural families.

The Horticulture Minister said that Himachal would be the first State to implement the Horticulture Policy, which would provide direct and indirect employment opportunities to 82,500 people. The Government has provided financial assistance of about Rs. 4 crore to the University for Research and development in natural farming.

Vice Chancellor, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Dr. Rajeshwar Chandel welcomed the Governor on the occasion and detailed various achievements and other activities of the University. He thanked the state government for providing financial assistance for research in natural farming and development.

The Governor also released various university publications during the event.

Registrar of the University Dr. Sanjeev Chauhan proposed a vote of thanks.
MLA Ajay Solanki, Secretary Horticulture C.Paulrasu, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Pavnesh Kumar Pant, Secretary to Governor C.P. Verma, Director Agriculture Kumud Singh, Director Horticulture Viney Singh, Deputy Commissioner Solan Manmohan Sharma Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh, Members of the University Senate, Board of Management and Academic Council, statutory officers of the University, staff, student community were also present on the occasion.