Srinagar: Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr A K Sood, on Monday visited the Shalimar campus of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir to review the progress of the Rural Business Incubation Centre (RBIC).
The visit aimed at assessing the development of infrastructure under RBIC, which has been established with NABARD’s support to promote agri-business and rural entrepreneurship across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
At the outset, Dr Sood held a meeting with Vice Chancellor Nazir Ahmad Ganai, who outlined the university’s strategy to modernise agriculture through the adoption of new-age technologies.
Prof. Ganai also briefed the visiting dignitary about the RBIC’s hub-and-spoke model, with the Shalimar campus functioning as the central hub and specialised technical units, including dairy processing, biofertilizer production, fur processing, and mushroom production, serving as functional spokes to support incubatees.
Dr Sood appreciated these efforts, stating that the integration of academic infrastructure with business incubation is crucial for advancing the agriculture sector and strengthening the technological ecosystem of the region. He assured full support from NABARD to further enhance the incubation framework and ensure sustainable growth of the startup ecosystem.
On the occasion, Dr Sood and Prof. Ganai jointly launched ‘Ruralpreneur’, the inaugural newsletter of RBIC, which documents the centre’s achievements over its first six months, including the expansion of its startup portfolio and its impact on rural communities.
Dr Sood was accompanied by a senior NABARD delegation, including General Manager and Office Incharge J&K Vikas Mittal, Deputy General Manager Surrinder Singh and Assistant General Manager Kanav Sharma.
During an interactive session held at the Discovery Building, CEO RBIC Dr Jameel Ahmad Khan presented an overview of the centre’s operational pipeline and outreach activities.
Prof. Haroon Naik highlighted RBIC’s mission to expand its outreach to remote areas of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to identify and nurture untapped entrepreneurial talent. He also shared plans for developing a dedicated Techno Park to provide world-class infrastructure for emerging ventures.
The visit concluded with a tour of the Innovation Building, where Dr Sood inspected newly developed co-working pods, conference halls and office spaces designed to support the next generation of agri-entrepreneurs in the region.
