Time for J&K to innovate for its own challenges: LG Sinha

Don’t let circumstances limit your future, LG tells students

22/08/2026

JAMMU, Aug 21: The Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today inaugurated a series of new infrastructure facilities at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu. He also addressed the launch of the Startup Outreach Programme under JKCIP. The event brought together the researchers, innovators, young entrepreneurs and farmers from across the Jammu division.
The newly inaugurated facilities include the Unnati Girls Hostel, Centre for AI and ML in Agriculture, the Centre for Mushroom Research and Innovation, the Advanced Sericulture Laboratory, and the Centre for Digital Media and Publication. Speaking on the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor described the additions as more than physical infrastructure, calling them a commitment to the region's innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and farming families.
The Lieutenant Governor drew attention to global examples of technology-driven agriculture, from a dairy innovation hub in the Netherlands that brings together scientists, companies and farmers on AI-based nutrition and animal health solutions, to Israel's integration of data and smart management across agriculture and dairy, New Zealand's digital push in animal husbandry, and a Brazilian irrigation startup that turned a farmer's everyday problem into a scalable solution. The message from these examples, the Lieutenant Governor said, is that agriculture and allied sectors represent the next major frontier for innovation worldwide.
At the same time, the Lieutenant Governor cautioned the youth of Jammu Kashmir against simply replicating foreign models, urging them instead to study their own fields, farmers, climate and local challenges, and to build solutions suited to the region's specific needs.
"Today, there are startups worldwide continuously exploring new possibilities in agriculture and allied sectors. The biggest message from these startups and new innovations is that agriculture and allied sectors themselves are the next big frontier for innovation.
You must understand your own fields, farmers, climate, and local problems to prepare your next solution, and customize those models in your own way wherever appropriate. I believe that different countries have innovated for their own problems, and now it is time for Jammu Kashmir to innovate for its own questions and challenges," the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor also highlighted India's changing employment aspirations and observed that today's youth in Jammu Kashmir are increasingly looking to create jobs rather than wait in line for them. He said such shift in aspiration is central to the vision of a Self-Reliant Jammu Kashmir.

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