Special lectures were organised on World Environment Day at School of Biotechnology, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) for undergraduate and postgraduate students by eminent speakers, Prof. Ravindra K. Sinha, Vice Chancellor, SMVDU, Prof. Anil K Raina, Former Head, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu and Mr. O.P. Sharma, Retd. IFS.The year 2022 marks the golden jubilee (50 years) of World Environment Day and theme for the year is “Only One Earth” with Sweden as host country. Prof. Sinha emphasized the role of day-to-day activities in conservation of water, electricity, etc. and explained to the participants that how these small acts can go a long way in protection of our environment.
Prof. Raina talked about sustainable development methods that can be easily adopted and the need to realign the current development process so that the availability of natural resources can be ensured for the future generations. Mr. Sharma in his ppt presentation discussed the vivid biodiversity of flora and fauna of Jammu & Kashmir, detailing how extinction of species is progressively accelerating and impact of biodiversity in different aspects of human life. Dr. Sharda Potukuchi, Head, School of Biotechnology (SoB), was the Convener and Dr. Preeti Sharma, Faculty, SoB, was the Organizing Secretary of the event. Dr. Parvez Singh Slathia, Co-organizing Secretary, delivered the vote of thanks. The event also included the plantation of saplings of Terminalia bellirica (baheda) and Hymenodictyon orixense (Bridal Couch tree) to mark the occasion.