13th Convocation of Horticulture University held
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Governor confers gold medals to meritorious students
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla presided over the 13th 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 18th 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.
