PAU opens training centre for UPSC aspirants
PAU vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal, praised the Punjab Government's initiative to establish such centres across the state. He said the centre at PAU, the first of its kind at the university, would be instrumental in shaping the future of aspiring bureaucrats and scholars. Highlighting the vital contribution of civil servants and agricultural scientists to nation-building, Gosal emphasised that the centre will provide free coaching to meritorious students, especially those from financially weak backgrounds. He added that a dedicated building for the centre is already in the pipeline and students will have full access to PAU's central library and other academic facilities.
Director of students' welfare, Nirmal Jaura, elaborated on the centre's purpose, calling it a step towards equal opportunity in education and public service. He informed the audience that PAU's centre is among eight, recently approved by the Punjab Government to train candidates for top government roles including IAS, IPS, PCS, IRS, and ARS. Jaura noted that a qualifying test, to be conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, will be used to select deserving students, who will also be eligible for scholarships.
Gursharanjit Singh Sandhu, principal of Government SCD College, lauded the initiative as a 'guiding light' for students determined to join civil services. The advisory panel includes top officials like the PAU vice-chancellor, director of higher education, deputy commissioner of Ludhiana, and PAU registrar, while the working committee is headed by Vipan Kumar Rampal with a team of dedicated faculty members.
As part of the inaugural ceremony, two outstanding students were honoured by the vice-chancellor. Parisdeep Aulakh, from the College of Horticulture and Forestry, secured an All-India Rank of 172 in UPSC CAPF 2024. Sourav, an alumnus of the College of Agriculture and now assistant director with MSME, was also recognised for his achievements.
International Day for Biological Diversity celebrated
The department of forestry and natural resources, in collaboration with the NSS unit at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), celebrated the International Day for Biological Diversity on June 16. The event was organised under the global theme 'Be Part of the Plan', with the aim to promote environmental awareness.
The ceremony supported by the National Biodiversity Authority through the Punjab Biodiversity Board and the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Chandigarh, drew participation of around 250 students.
The highlight of the day was an expert lecture by Renu Bhardwaj, former professor at Guru Nanak Dev University, on 'How to Sustain Development and Preserve Biodiversity.' Bhardwaj captivated the audience by addressing the urgent need to protect natural resources amid growing environmental challenges like climate change, urban sprawl, and industrialisation.
Chief guest RIS Gill, estate officer, PAU, spoke about the root causes of biodiversity erosion and stressed the importance of its conservation through sustainable practices. The programme also included several interactive student competitions such as poster-making and slogan-writing.
The poster making competition was triumphed by Jasmandeep Kaur, Dhami Kapila, and Mehakpreet Kaur while Tanya Kaur, Arppita Sharma, and Avreet Kaur bagged prizes in slogan writing.
Concluding the event, GPS Dhillon, head of the department, highlighted PAU's commitment to biodiversity conservation, especially through nursery production of traditional tree species.
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