Latest news with #CSIR-IIIMJammu


Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
IIT Jammu signs a tripartite MoU to drive regional innovation
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jammu, on Sunday formalized a collaboration by signing a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) and three pioneering start-ups here to accelerate translational research, foster technology-driven entrepreneurship and bolster regional economic development, an official said. The MoU was inked by IIT Jammu Director Manoj Singh Gaur and CSIR-IIIM Jammu Director Jammu Zabeer Ahmed in the presence of senior scientists, faculty and officials from both institutions. With the strategic leadership of Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu and Prof. Manoj Singh Gaur, Director, IIT Jammu, both the institutions inked a landmark pact to jointly nurture the start-ups – Biogreen Projects, Evlogia Eco Care & Crop Domain – to drive… — CSIR-IIIM (@csiriiim) August 3, 2025 The representatives of the three start-ups — Songbaran Chatterjee (Biogreen Projects), Manigandan Kumarappan (Evlogia Eco Care) and Mahadeva Swamy (Crop Domain) — also participated in the ceremony, marking their induction into this collaborative framework, the official said. He said the key pillars of the partnership include leveraging CSIR-IIIM's strengths in natural product discovery and drug development alongside IIT Jammu's engineering expertise to co- develop market-ready technologies. CSIR-IIIM-TBI and IIT Jammu's I3C incubator will provide mentoring, prototyping facilities and investor connect to nurture these ventures, while organizing workshops, industry- oriented training programs and knowledge- exchange events will be facilitated to cultivate local talent and generate new employment opportunities under the pact, the official said. The MoU will also help streamlining pathways for laboratory innovations to reach commercial deployment in healthcare, sustainable materials and agri-biotech sectors, he added. The collaboration would be jointly governed by senior leadership from IIT Jammu and CSIR-IIIM in close partnership with the three start-ups, fostering an ecosystem where science, technology and entrepreneurship intersect to drive India's innovation-led growth, the official said. Senior officials from both organizations underscored the MoU's potential to transform Jammu into a hub of scientific and entrepreneurial excellence. Gaur said 'this tripartite alliance exemplifies IIT Jammu's commitment to bridging cutting-edge research with societal impact'. 'By combining our engineering capabilities with CSIR-IIIM's life-science expertise and dynamic start-ups, we will fast-track the development and commercialization of solutions that benefit our region and beyond,' he added.


India Gazette
01-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Lavender gave small J&K town of Bhaderwah national identity, role in India's economic growth: Jitendra Singh
New Delhi [India], June 1 (ANI): Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh praised the Agri-Startup model of Lavender farming as a transformative force that has rewritten the narrative of entrepreneurship in remote and hilly terrains, saying that Lavender has given the small J&K town of Bhaderwah a national identity and also a national role in India's economic growth. 'Bhaderwah, once a quiet hilly town, is now a beacon of India's rural startup revolution. Lavender has not just added fragrance to these mountains--it has added identity, income, and inspiration,' said Singh while inaugurating 2-day Lavender festival 2025 organized by CSIR- IIIM Jammu in Bhaderwah town of Jammu. 'This single mission has answered multiple challenges,'Jitendra Singh said, 'It busted the myth that StartUps are limited to IT or require foreign degrees. Our youth in Jammu & Kashmir, in collaboration with CSIR-IIIM, have shown that passion, perseverance, and learning can build sustainable ventures rooted in agriculture.' He proudly shared that young entrepreneurs in Bhaderwah are earning an average of Rs 65 lakhs annually through lavender cultivation and value-added products, motivating many others to leave conventional jobs and pursue farming as a lucrative business opportunity, according to the Ministry of Science & Technology. Jitendra Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing Bhaderwah and the Purple Revolution to the national stage. 'When the Prime Minister dedicated nearly ten minutes in his 'Mann Ki Baat' to talk about this Lavender mission in detail, it gave the best possible global introduction to Bhaderwah--one that we couldn't have imagined,' Singh said. The Minister emphasised that it was PM Modi's vision of StartUp India and StandUp India, announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort, that ignited the entrepreneurial spirit in regions that previously needed long explanations to justify their existence on the developmental map. Singh revealed that there are currently 50 distillation units operational in Bhaderwah, with lavender-derived products being supplied to markets in Maharashtra and other states. The model has not only attracted attention from neighboring states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, but also from the North-Eastern states, whose representatives were present at the festival to gain first-hand insights. 'This is a new paradigm the world is witnessing - a rural, agriculture-based startup revolution that is both scalable and sustainable,' he remarked. Another myth that Jitendra Singh addressed was the misconception that StartUps are only for the young. He shared that a special exhibition featuring 60+ age group entrepreneurs will be showcased in the next edition of the festival. Drawing a broader economic context, Singh said, 'India has moved from the 5th largest to the 4th largest economy, and sectors like lavender cultivation will further fuel our rise. These unexplored areas, when empowered, will become pillars of value addition and employment generation.' He also addressed skepticism around India's economic resilience amid aggressive defence postures. 'Despite challenging times and operations like Sindoor, India's economy has not only remained buoyant but also grown. That is a fitting reply to skeptics,' he asserted. Concluding his address, Singh praised Dr Zabeer and the CSIR-IIIM team for organizing an unprecedented event in Bhaderwah that drew visitors from all over India. He invited everyone to visit the lavender fields over the next 10-15 days during peak bloom and hear directly from the entrepreneurs themselves. (ANI)


The Print
01-06-2025
- Business
- The Print
J-K: Lavender gave small town Bhaderwah a national identity: Union minister Jitendra Singh
'Bhaderwah, once a quiet hilly town, is now a beacon of India's rural startup revolution. Lavender has not just added fragrance to these mountains, it has added identity, income, and inspiration,' Singh said. Inaugurating a two-day Lavender festival 2025 organised by CSIR-IIIM Jammu in Doda district's Bhaderwah town, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's office lauded the Agri-Startup model of Lavender farming as a transformative force that has rewritten the narrative of entrepreneurship in remote and hilly terrains. Jammu, Jun 1 (PTI) Lavender has given the small Jammu and Kashmir town of Bhaderwah a national identity and also a national role in India's economic growth, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday. He said this single mission has answered multiple challenges and busted the myth that startups are limited to IT or require foreign degrees. 'Our youth in Jammu and Kashmir, in collaboration with CSIR-IIIM, have shown that passion, perseverance, and learning can build sustainable ventures rooted in agriculture,' he said. The minister proudly shared that young entrepreneurs in Bhaderwah are earning an average of Rs 65 lakhs annually through lavender cultivation and value-added products, motivating many others to leave conventional jobs and pursue farming as a lucrative business opportunity. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing Bhaderwah and the Purple Revolution to the national stage. 'When the Prime Minister dedicated nearly 10 minutes in his 'Mann Ki Baat' to talk about this Lavender mission in detail, it gave the best possible global introduction to Bhaderwah — one that we could not have imagined,' Singh said. The Minister emphasised that it was Modi's vision of StartUp India and StandUp India, announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort, that ignited the entrepreneurial spirit in regions that previously needed long explanations to justify their existence on the developmental map. He revealed that there are currently 50 distillation units operational in Bhaderwah, with lavender-derived products being supplied to markets in Maharashtra and other states. The model has not only attracted attention from neighbouring states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, but also from the North-Eastern states, whose representatives were present at the festival to gain first-hand insights, he said. 'This is a new paradigm the world is witnessing – a rural, agriculture-based startup revolution that is both scalable and sustainable,' he remarked. Another myth that Singh addressed was the misconception that StartUps are only for the young. He shared that a special exhibition featuring 60 plus age group entrepreneurs will be showcased in the next edition of the festival. Drawing a broader economic context, Singh said, 'India has moved from the fifth largest to the fourth largest economy, and sectors like lavender cultivation will further fuel our rise. These unexplored areas, when empowered, will become pillars of value addition and employment generation.' He also addressed skepticism around India's economic resilience amid aggressive defence postures. 'Despite challenging times and operations like Sindoor, India's economy has not only remained buoyant but also grown. That is a fitting reply to skeptics,' he asserted. Singh praised director CSIR-IIIM Zabeer Ahmad and his team for organizing an unprecedented event in Bhaderwah that drew visitors from all over India. He invited everyone to visit the lavender fields over the next 10–15 days during peak bloom and hear directly from the entrepreneurs themselves. PTI TAS NB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.