PM’s self reliant India dream becoming true: LG
Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, May 28: The North India’s first Industrial Biotech Park at Ghatti Kathua was today inaugurated by Union Minister in PMO with Independent charge of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh and Lt Governor J&K, Manoj Sinha.
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While Dr Jitendra Singh visited Ghatti to inaugurate the Biotech Park physically, the LG addressed the function through virtual mode from Srinagar.
Addressing the function, Dr Jitendra Singh said that this Biotech Park vindicates end of regional discrimination under Narendra Modi Government which continued for decades together under opposition parties rule.
He said this is also an eye opener for those who said that nothing has happened in last eight years of Modi Government as Kathua joined the 10 cities of the country having Biotech Parks.
He said with the inauguration of Biotech Park at Kathua the StartUps announced by PM Modi at Red Fort during Independence Day speech in 2015 will get a boost in J&K which could not take pace during last some years.
Dr Jitendra Singh said it is the historic day for Kathua and an occasion of celebration for the people of J&K also. He said as no Government all over the world can provide employment to every person, Narendra Modi created alternative job avenues by announcing StartUp and StandUp India so the people should take its full advantage.
These projects opened new vistas of employment for the youth who were earlier hankering for Government job only.
He said Kathua has many resources especially in Agriculture sector. With these new projects, the J&K has for the first time emerged on Indian map as was never before and this all has been possible because of Narendra Modi’s special love for the people of J&K and his vision to develop the backward regions of the country at par with other developed areas of the UT.
Dr Jitendra Singh said not only the research entrepreneurs and farmers from J&K but the neighboring States of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh will be benefitted by it. He also highlighted the contribution of PM in taking country ahead and said that in J&K two AIIMs, Atal Sethu first Cable bridge in Basohli, ISRO Centre in CU Jammu, two seed processing plants in Kathua, two highway villages in Kathua, four Central funded Medical Colleges, one each in Kathua, Udhampur, Doda and Rajouri, IIT and IIM, Ring road etc are coming up or have already been constructed. While these projects too have been sanctioned for Kashmir Valley but they could not pace up due to certain incompatible circumstances there.
He said the Biotech Park at Ghatti will make Kathua the StartUp destination of North India.
The Minister said that the next 25 years are very crucial for this country and when India would be celebrating its 100 years of independence in 2047, the youth of Kathua would be among the great contributors towards making India a ‘Vishwa Guru’.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that under PM Narendra Modi without any regional bias, the UT of Jammu and Kashmir has seen a new dawn of development in education, health infrastructure, science and technology.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Biotech Park would act as hub for incubation of new ideas and will act as a robust platform to support the Agri-entrepreneurs, StartUps, Progressive farmers, scientists, scholars and students not only from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh but also from nearby States of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the Biotechnology Park at Kathua has a potential to produce 25 StartUps in a year which will be among its great contributions to this region. Dr. Singh informed that with the unlocking of space technology in India under PM Narendra Modi, 60 StartUps have been established in only one and a half year, Onkar Singh, the young scientist from Jammu present today here is among the best examples of it, he added.
He also said that the media has a greater role to play in the awareness campaigns regarding StartUps and must show the success stories on it to inspire people.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also said that a single national portal will be started catering to the interests of youth who have a potential in certain field and want to build a StartUp under it.
The Minister said, the facilities like herbal extraction, fermentation, analytical lab., distillation, micro-propagation, plant tissue culture would be available in Biotech Park, Ghatti Kathua besides the provision of technology incubation, training & skill development.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, this Biotech Park will carry out research on biodiversity, medicinal and aromatic plants of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and it will also promote green category businesses.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha in his address said inauguration of Biotech Park at Kathua will transform the economy and enable scientists to tackle challenges of climate change. The enabling infrastructure will fuel new wave of innovation and impact various sectors from health and agriculture to cosmetics and materials.
He said J&K especially has lot of potential for ornamental plants and with the establishment of the Biotech Park J&K will be scientific hub. The researchers will conduct experiments there and people like farmers and business community will be benefitted.
Sinha said that establishment of projects like Biotech Park is leading the country to fulfill the Prime Minister’s dream of Atamnirbhar Bharat (Self Reliant India) and it will create the new vistas of employment for the youth.
Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Senior Principal Scientist CSIR-IIIM and OSD Biotech Park Ghatti, Kathua, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India, Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology & Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Director General, CSIR, Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, MoES, Dr. S. Chandersekhar, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Dr. D.S Reddy, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu, Dr. Alok Kumar, Secretary, Science and Technology, Government of J&K, DDC Chairperson Kathua, Col. Mahan Singh, Vice Chairperson DDC, Kathua, Raghunandan Singh Bablo, Vice Chancellors of Universities of Jammu & Kashmir UT, Directors of IIT, AIIMS & IIM, Industrialists, Agri-entrepreneurs, StartUps, Scholars and students attended the inaugural event.
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