By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 17 Dec: The Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC) and Shri Guru Ram Rai University (SGRRU) signed an MoU on the 15th of December to promote inter-institutional collaborative research and academic engagements in areas of common causes. Dr M Madhu, Director and Dr M Muruganandam, Principal Scientist and OIC (PME Cell), ICAR-IISWC on behalf of the IISWC and Dr Deepak Sahni, Registrar and Dr Dwarika Prasad, Head of Department of Chemistry on behalf of the SGRRU Dehradun, discussed and signed the MoU.
Dr Madhu reiterated that the MoU is aimed to stimulate and facilitate collaboration and promote mutually-interested common programs that help advance the interests of the Himalayan ecosystems and related intellectual life and cultural development. National and international level collaborative programs and engagements for enhanced outreach, and awareness on technological outcomes and success stories would be aimed through this MoU.
Dr Muruganandam informed that the MoU is in line with the growing need for improving collaborations and linkages between research organizations and academia in order to strengthen quality education, research, and production of the quality human resource pool in various spheres of science and technology. Dr Sahni and Dr Dwarika emphasized that the MoU would benefit the whole range of colleges and the Institutions functioning under the SGRRU, especially the students, scholars, and faculty members of College of Agriculture and College of Sciences. He informed that this MOU would add value to the courses of SGRRU that are meticulously designed to provide excellent learning, requisite expertise, rewarding qualification, and practical exposure, hands-on learning, and desired skills for a successful career. The ICAR-IISWC is functioning with the national mandate of research, training, and demonstration on soil-water conservation, watershed development, natural resource management, etc. addressing problems of resource conservation and livelihoods so as to promote the interests of resource sustainability, environmental protection, and socio-economic development since the 1950s. The Institute with its Headquarters at Dehradun along with 8 other Regional Centers located across the country at Agra, Bellary, Chandigarh, Datia, Koraput, Kota, Udhagamandalam, and Vasad addresses diverse research, and outreach problems of soil and water conservation and resources management. The SGRR Education Mission began in 1952 and Shri Guru Ram Rai University was established under the SGRRU Act 2016 enacted by the Govt. of Uttarakhand. The SGRR-University with dedicated faculty and management systems provides quality education and societal services in Uttarakhand. The potential areas of collaboration discussed include research, training, capacity building, experience sharing and knowledge management in the diverse domain of natural resource management, soil-water conservation, wetland management, water quality assessment and management, and assessment and promotion of indigenous and traditional crops towards a sustainable environment, livelihoods and economy.
