SRINAGAR: The three-day 31st SAPI Annual Conference and Symposium on ‘Technology-Driven Physiological Capacity Building in Livestock for Food Security and Sustainability’ concluded Friday at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir’s Shalimar campus.
The Society of Animal Physiologists of India’s annual national conference (SAPICON-2023) was organised by the varsity’s Division of Veterinary Physiology, FVSc & AH, Shuhama and was supported by the World Bank-ICAR funded National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) for the institutional development of SKUAST-K.
Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai was the chief guest at the valedictory function, attended by more than 250 visiting delegates, participating scientists, and students from different states of the country.
While talking about the university’s various upcoming national-level programmes and events, Prof Ganai, in his address, elucidated his plan to make SKUAST-K country’s first innovation-led farm university. He highlighted some innovative steps, like degree by design in undergraduate courses and sandwich mode of research in post-graduate studies to be taken by SKUAST-K this year.
The three-day event was inaugurated by J&K Govt Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta on Wednesday. More than 250 delegates from all across the country participated including eminent scientists and experts from multiple science disciplines viz. Physiology, Biotechnology, Bio-engineering & Bio-Sciences. The lead speakers in the conference included Padma Shri Dr ML Madan, former DDG-ICAR, Prof SN Tripathi, Director IIPM, AK Mishra, Ex-Director ASRB, IIAR, Dr Ashok Kumar, from IIT Kanpur, Dr Praveen Kumar from IIT Roorkee and other high profile functionaries from various Veterinary Institutions of the country.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha Thursday evening hosted the eminent scientists and delegates participating in the event for a hi-tea at the Raj Bhawan, Srinagar. The Lt Governor in his interaction highlighted the recent publications on-farm practices in English, Urdu, Kashmiri and Dogri for sensitizing the farmers about scientific farming and skills to make agriculture vibrant and farmer oriented. He also advocated the concerned officials to be in liaison with seasoned and experienced subject matter experts to harvest their expertise to increase clean, accessible, affordable food and food products for better food security and doubling the farmers’ income.
Earlier on Friday, during the Valedictory function, Prof Zahoor Ahmad Pampori, the Organizing Secretary of 31st SAPI presented an overview of the conference and various sessions held during the last three days. The various awards for the participants competing in different sessions of the conference were declared by the SAPI General Secretary Dr Ingole. He further announced the other Society Awards conferred to distinguished scholars to be given in the next upcoming conference to be held at Meerut, UP. A cultural event was also organized on Thursday evening for the participating delegates while the National SAPI Quiz competition was held prior to the concluding function at SKUAST-K, Shalimar. Proceedings of the concluding function were conducted by OSD to Vice Chancellor Prof Azmat Alam Khan and the votes of thanks was presented by the Dean FVSc&AH Prof MT Banday.

KR Desk