SRINAGAR: Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh on Tuesday called for development in Jammu and Kashmir’s Himalayan region to be guided by ecological safeguards, highlighting glacier monitoring in Ladakh and Doda, climate research initiatives and the need for a sustainable mountain development policy tailored to the region’s vulnerabilities.
Addressing a special session of the 13th All India Sustainable Mountain Development Summit at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Singh said protecting the Himalayas was a national responsibility, given their role in sustaining water sources, ecosystems and livelihoods.
He said the Himalayan ecosystem supports springs, water bodies, glaciers and river sources while underpinning tourism, agriculture and other economic activities. Unauthorised construction and unregulated activities, he cautioned, could aggravate risks in ecologically sensitive mountain areas, making it necessary to integrate environmental safeguards into development planning.
The session was part of the summit, being held from October 12 to 14 under the theme “Contouring Sustainable Himalayan Landscapes for Inclusive Viksit Bharat”. Jointly organised by SKUAST-K and the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI), the summit is examining the draft Jammu and Kashmir Sustainable Mountain Development Policy 2026.
Singh called for scientific evidence and local conditions to inform the proposed policy, referring to a pilot study initiated by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in 10 villages in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the findings could help identify locally appropriate interventions and guide their possible replication.
The minister also highlighted glacier monitoring and field-based research conducted by the Wadia Institute in Ladakh and the Doda region since 2015. The work includes observations using automatic weather stations and seismometers, alongside studies related to landslides and past earthquakes. He also referred to capacity-building in glaciology in Kashmir to strengthen scientific understanding of the region’s changing mountain environment.
Under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, which forms part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, the Department of Science and Technology has identified research centres at the University of Kashmir, Sikkim University and Tezpur University. These centres are intended to strengthen research on climate change and the Himalayan ecosystem. The minister also referred to support for climate research and institutional capacity-building through state-level initiatives across the Indian Himalayan Region.
On weather monitoring, Singh said India’s weather radar network had grown from 16 radars in 2014 to 50, with another 50 planned under Mission Mausam. He said the expansion would strengthen weather observation and preparedness, particularly in regions exposed to extreme weather and natural hazards.
Beyond environmental protection, Singh highlighted Jammu and Kashmir’s experience with the Aroma Mission and the Purple Revolution as an example of science-led livelihood generation. Lavender cultivation in areas such as Gulmarg and Padder, he said, had created opportunities for farmers and rural entrepreneurs by linking region-specific agricultural activity with emerging markets.
He stressed, however, that sustaining these opportunities required more than cultivation. Stronger links between growers and the aroma and fragrance industries, access to technology and finance, and support for entrepreneurship were essential to improve returns. Women’s self-help groups and young entrepreneurs, he said, could play a greater role in expanding these livelihood opportunities.
Singh noted that Jammu and Kashmir’s Purple Revolution had gained national visibility through Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme and a Republic Day tableau. He said the experience demonstrated how scientific interventions, agricultural innovation and market access could support rural economic activity, with lessons for other regions seeking to build livelihoods around local resources.
Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology Babila Rakwal, SKUAST-K Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nazir A. Ganai and representatives of academia and the mountain development community attended the session.
Singh said protecting the Himalayas required scientific research, responsible development and public awareness, adding that the long-term ecological well-being of the country was closely linked to the health of its mountain systems.
