SKUAST-K kick-starts 3 management development programmes for upskilling youth

Srinagar, Nov 25: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir kick-started three one-week Advanced and Existing Management Development Programme (A-MDP & E-MDP) to upskill the youth in leadership and managerial skills for entrepreneurship.

A statement said that the entrepreneurship skill training is being conducted by various SKUAST-K faculties and centres under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Ministry of MSME has sanctioned 550 skill trainings to SKUAST-K to be conducted in the year 2023-24.

The seven-day A-MDP on ‘Scientific Management in Rainbow Trout Culture for Entrepreneurship and Employment Generation’ is organised by the Division of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, Rangil in which 25 youth, entrepreneurs and students are participating. Dr Mansoor Ahmad of the division is the coordinator of the training.

The E-MDP on ‘Quality Assurance of Pashmina and Pashmina Products’ is organised by the Division of Livestock Products Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences. A total of twenty-five participants, most of them being associated with the pashmina trade and some students from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Srinagar have been shortlisted for participation in the training programme. Head, Division of LPT, Dr Asif Hassan Sofi is the coordinator of the program.

The A-MDP on ‘Technological Intervention for Promoting Beekeeping as a Source of Sustainable Livelihood in Gurez’ is organised by the SKUAST-K’s Krishi Vikas Kendra, Bandipora-II (Gurez). Twenty-five young aspiring beekeepers of the valley participated to equip themselves with the scientific methods of rearing of honey bees and their management besides learning about the extraction of honey and its various products and the cultivation of Bee-friendly crops like Buckwheat, Amaranth and Strawberry. Dr Bilal Ahmad Bhat of KVK Gurez is the program coordinator.

Director, Research, SKUAST-K, Prof Haroon Rashid Naik, who is the coordinator of the MSME trainings, was the chief guest at the inaugural functions of Trout and Pashmina trainings.

On the inaugural of the fisheries skill program, Prof Haroon said the training aims at inculcating and infusing the entrepreneurship mindset among the youth by skilling them with advanced training on various aspects of aquaculture especially trout farming on scientific lines. In the pashmina program, he urged the participants to engage actively with the speakers so that the problems associated with the trade are understood for better future redressal with an aim to revitalize the all-important trade of pashmina processing in the valley, keeping in view the vast majority of stakeholders’ livelihood being associated with it.

The beekeeping training was inaugurated by the Tehsildar Gurez, Ali Mohammad, who highlighted the importance of such skill-oriented programmes in this region and urged the youth to come forward to learn new innovations so as to put them to practical use for their own development as well as the development of this region.