States » NorthPosted at: Nov 11 2026 9:15PM


Sher-e-Kashmir University moves up to rank three, from 37th among state Agricultural Universities: VC

Srinagar, Nov 11 (UNI) Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) has improved its national ranking among State Agricultural Universities from 37th in 2019 to third in 2025, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference at the university’s Shalimar campus, Ganai highlighted the institution’s transformation over the past few years and outlined its Vision 2030 roadmap.
He said the university had expanded its undergraduate programmes from four to 15, while overall student enrolment had increased from 2,100 to over 5,900. Undergraduate enrolment had also more than doubled, rising from 450 to over 900.
Highlighting its research and innovation achievements, the VC said SKUAST-K had secured more than 146 patents in the last four years, the highest among State Agricultural Universities. The university has also established over 20 Centres of Excellence, supported 126-plus student and faculty startups and facilitated 62 product launches.
On the extension front, Prof. Ganai said more than 2,000 Kisan Khidmat Ghars had been established at district and panchayat levels to strengthen agricultural services and support for farmers.
Under the Student Rural Entrepreneurship Programme (SREP), over 4,000 students have been engaged, while more than 350 villages have been adopted for a period of ten years.
SKUAST-K is also focusing on transforming students into entrepreneurs by equipping them with market-ready technologies, products and business ideas rather than limiting their education to academic degrees.
Vice-Chancellor said the university has established eight start-up ventures, which he referred to as “babycorners”, with their annual turnover exceeding Rs 1 billion.
“Today, I am very happy to tell you that this university has eight babycorners, and their annual turnover is more than one billion,” the Vice-Chancellor said.
Emphasising the need to promote an entrepreneurial culture among students, he said the university wants graduates to leave the institution with something tangible beyond their degree certificates.
“The students studying in this university should get their education, but they should also develop their start-ups,” he said.
“The basic purpose of the university is that when a student walks out of this gate, he should not carry only a degree or provisional degree certificate. He should also have a technology, a product, a prototype, or become a business owner, a start-up founder or a director,” the VC said.
He said the university was making efforts to ensure that students emerge as job creators rather than merely job seekers.
The Vice-Chancellor also highlighted the role of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), with an outlay of Rs 5,013 crore, and the J&K Competitiveness Improvement Project (JKCIP), involving initiatives worth over Rs 1,800 crore.
He said the two initiatives envisage upskilling 2.5 lakh people across Jammu and Kashmir over five years and creating more than 18,000 agri-entrepreneurs.
Outlining Vision 2030, VC Ganai said the university aimed to move from regional excellence towards global recognition, with a focus on quality agricultural education, research-led innovation, technology transfer, entrepreneurship and inclusive rural development.
The programme also witnessed the release of the university’s Draft Institutional Media, Communication and Social Media Policy, aimed at ensuring accurate, transparent and coordinated institutional communication.
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Tags: #Sher-e-Kashmir University moves up to rank three# from 37th among state Agricultural Universities: VC
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