The new initiative – Indian Himalayan Central University Consortium (IHCUC) – launched by NITI Aayog at Garhwal university will evaluate economic impact of women workers in the hilly regions of the Himalayan states, union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said at the convocation ceremony of the university on Tuesday.
“The consortium should work on agro-ecology of Himalayan states with special reference to marketing; development of affordable and environmentally friendly tourism in hilly areas; creation of employment opportunities for migration control from mountainous regions. This will help evaluate the economic impact of women working in the hills,” Pokhriyal said.
He asked vice-chancellors of the Himalayan universities to undertake research in Hill Agriculture, Horticulture, Herb Production, Floriculture, Organic Agriculture, Eco-tourism, and Technology. This would produce the sources of livelihood in Himalaya.
Hemvati Nandan Garhwal University in Pauri Garhwal celebrated its 8th convocation on Tuesday. Pokhriyal was the chief guest at the event.
This year, 155 students registered for online convocation of which 72 students were awarded Ph.D., 59 gold medals were awarded to the toppers in various subjects.
Vice-chancellor Prof Annapurna Nautiyal said, “This year, the university decided to have the convocation through an online medium to promote an academic spirit despite the Covid-19 global epidemic. Despite various geographical disparities and resource shortages, the university has successfully converted the challenges arising out of Covid-19 into an opportunity by using online mediums.”
Talking about research and educational activities, the vice-chancellor said establishment of the Indian Himalayan Central Universities’ Consortium (IHCUC) in 2020 under the coordinator-ship of the HNB Garhwal University to conduct five multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional thematic studies sponsored by NITI Aayog, New Delhi, is a great leap to promote the idea of ‘One Himalaya’.
