Stressing on the youth to help the government in protecting environment and conserving natural resources of the state, Advisor to the Governor, Khursheed Ganai on Sunday said the tour and travel industry of Jammu and Kashmir will thrive if the state is promoted as an eco-tourist destination.
According to an official spokesperson, the advisor was speaking after inaugurating the 3rd International Research Conference on Ecotourism and Environment at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST), at its Shalimar campus in Srinagar.
Ganai urged the youngsters to take ownership and walk extra mile in supporting the government’s efforts in environment conservation. “Nature has been kind to us in a way by bestowing us with abundant natural resources. It is our collective responsibility to conserve this treasure for all times to come,” he said.
The advisor urged the scientists and the delegates to share their experiences in the field of research and how the same can be used in preserving nature. “Please put your heads together and suggest ways to scale up eco conservation,” he added.
While describing J&K as a traveller’s dream destination, Ganai said the tour and travel industry will thrive if the state is promoted as a prime eco-tourist destination. “Our state has breathtaking locales which can match or even beat the very best in Europe. Ecotourism reams our USP and the travellers keep coming back as they are fascinated by our natural beauty. We hope to increase the footfall of nature tourists to the state,” Ganai, who also holds the tourism portfolio, said.
Later, the advisor released a souvenir and publications of SKUAST-K scholars.
He also visited the high-density apple orchard in the SKUAST campus, which has a much smaller gestation period and bears fruit within a year-and-a-half.
The VC SKUAST Nazeer Ahmed informed the advisor about the root to fruit technology which is aimed at adopting good agri practices for producing high quality fruit.
The advisor said that the government is committed to diversify horticulture by adopting newer technology to survive the onslaught of emerging market in and outside the country.