Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 19 Jul: In a significant development towards advancement of environmental research and sustainable development, the Ministry of Earth Sciences has formally endorsed the creation of a Nature Lab Centre of Excellence in Uttarakhand. The initiative was deliberated during a meeting held in HESCO village here, underlining the critical need for dedicated scientific exploration in nature sciences, a field that remains underserved despite numerous science and technology laboratories operating nationwide. Joint Secretary in Ministry of Earth Sciences, Senthil Pandian, alongside scientists Sanjay Bisht and Akhilesh Singh, and Vikram Singh, Director of the India Meteorological Department for Uttarakhand, participated in the discussions. Experts unanimously emphasised that amid rapid global economic growth, a serious and coordinated approach to ecology and environmental stewardship has become imperative.
Ministry scientists thoroughly examined the Nature Lab proposal, evaluating its experimental frameworks such as the Sukhlapur Model and the intricate interplay of economic and ecological considerations involved. Joshi welcomed the delegates and highlighted the urgent global demand for a specialised laboratory that understands ecological systems in their living context. He stressed that unlike conventional labs, the Nature Lab aims to decode the dynamic, intrinsic relationships among water, forest, soil, and air, treating them not as isolated variables but as interconnected elements of the natural world. The core premise focuses on understanding how these components interact mutually and with societal and scientific domains. The Ministry of Earth Sciences has embraced this framework and pledged support to develop it into a full-fledged Centre of Excellence.
The meeting also witnessed valuable inputs from subject experts including Dharam Bhuddi of Uttaranchal University, Santosh from Wadia Institute, Abhishek Verma of FRI, Sandhya Goswami and DVPS Rawat from Dolphin Institute, and officials from the Central Soil and Water Training Institute. Collectively, they endorsed the experimental depth and innovative scope of the Nature Lab proposal. Senthil Pandian expressed surprise at the compelling necessity for such an initiative in today’s ecological landscape, affirming that the proposed experiments hold transformative potential. To operationalise the concept, the Ministry, in partnership with HESCO, resolved to establish a comprehensive Nature Lab.
HESCO’s scientific team comprising of Himani, Sudha, Vinod Khati, Pramod, Parul, Jyoti, Kalash Bhardwaj, Neeti, Khushi, Dinesh, and Deepa also actively participated in the proceedings. Pandian specially acknowledged women-led experiments demonstrating innovative uses of local resources, commending their significant contributions to ecological harmony and sustainable community development.
