Srinagar, Sep 14: The Islamic University of Science and Technology, Friday organized a day-long Youth Festival “Aalaw – Consumer Calling”.
 The seminar was aimed to spread awareness about the menace of “counterfeiting of Kashmiri Handicrafts and adulteration in agricultural products.”
 The event was organized by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in collaboration with School of Business Studies, Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) and Kashmir Rotary Club, an official statement said.
 The festival was inaugurated by Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir, who was accompanied by the Vice Chancellor IUST, Prof A R Trag, Veteran Journalist, Brij Bhardwaj, Joint Director FICCI & Head CASCADE, Meena Chandra and President Rotary Club Dr. Amit Wanchoo.
 It was revealed at the seminar that counterfeiting of Kashmir products was a major concern.
 Addressing the gathering, Minister for Agriculture said that youth and the government should collectively work on spreading awareness about the ill effects of counterfeiting on Kashmiri products.
 “An initiative has to be taken at the level of educational institutions like IUST which will help to create awareness among the people and subsequently will act as a process towards eradicating the menace of counterfeiting in our society,” he maintained.
 Mir said that IUST being an autonomous body should come up with a course to create awareness among the students about the menace of counterfeiting.
 “This institution should lead the way towards a better change. A collective effort by youth, civil society and the government is needed to counter counterfeiting and adulteration of Kashmiri products,” he added.
 In his address, Vice Chancellor IUST Prof. A. R. Trag, gave an introduction about the adulteration of products in Kashmir and its impact on the economy of the State.
 He also appraised the gathering about the counterfeiting of Kashmiri Saffron and its remedial measures.
 Registrar IUST, Prof A.G. Rather welcomed the guests and participants of the festival. 
 Dean School of Technology, Prof KKS Jamwal, faculty members of various departments of IUST besides students were also present at the occasion.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 14 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 15 Sep 2012 00:00:00 IST