POONCH: Director Horticulture Jammu Gul Sayed undertook a two day comprehensive tour of District Poonch to assess the implementation of the horticultural schemes and review on-ground developmental activities aimed at strengthening the horticulture sector in the region.

During the tour, Sayed was accompanied by Chief Horticulture Poonch Sanjeev Kumar and other senior officers & officials of the department. He visited multiple farmers' orchards across Poonch, Lassana, Harni, Mendhar, Surankote and Balakote blocks. He inaugurated different Mother blocks of Apple and Walnut established by the beneficiaries under HADP.

During the interaction programme with orchardists, he took first hand appraisal of the condition of orchards of apple, walnut, pecan nut and other stone fruit crops. He encouraged farmers to adopt advanced horticultural practices to improve productivity and enhance income.

He also addressed the concerns of the farmers and encouraged them to fully leverage the benefits of departmental schemes especially HADP and JKCIP aimed at improving horticultural productivity and increasing farm income. He asked the farmers to come forward and access the HADP & JKCIP portals, apply online and avail benefits of these schemes. He highlighted the solar fencing being introduced through JKCIP scheme for the areas affected by monkeys & other wild animals.

Further, Director inspected various Govt. fruit plant nurseries across the district viz: Ajote, Poonch, Ari, Mendhar & Surankote and appreciated the working of District Horticulture department in implementing various schemes and developmental works going on in district Poonch. The Director took stock of the ongoing developmental activities in the nursery and gave on spot instructions to the nursery staff regarding the production of quality grafted planting material in the nursery.

Later, the Director convened a meeting of the District Officers, HDO’s, officials & field functionaries of district Poonch. He impressed upon staff to make maximum efforts to reach every farmer and create greater awareness about various departmental schemes, particularly focusing on the promotion of Pecannut, Walnut and HD Apple.

In loving memory of Dr. Priya Ranjan: A mentor who treated me like family
A Profound Loss: JK Monitor Mourns the Passing of Founding Chairman Dr. Priya Ranjan

We at JK Monitor are profoundly saddened by the sudden demise of our Founding Chairman, Dr. Priya Ranjan.IN LOVING MEMORY Dr Priya Ranjan

A brilliant mind who studied at Netarhat Residential School and graduated in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur before earning his PhD from the University of Maryland, Dr. Ranjan chose to return to India and dedicate his life to teaching, research and social good.

His pioneering work in networked systems, AI, robotics and biomedical applications—especially computer-vision tools for early detection of cancer and heart disease—reflected his deep belief that advanced technology must serve humanity.

For more than 15 years at JK Monitor, he remained a loyal friend, mentor and collaborator, marked by rare humility, intellectual integrity and quiet generosity. His passing leaves a void that cannot be filled. Priya, you will be deeply missed. Your life continues to remind us that knowledge finds its highest purpose in the service of others.

— Team JK Monitor

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Your voice can reach the world: At JK Monitor, we firmly believe that every well-researched idea has the power to inspire change beyond geographical boundaries. We are delighted to share an encouraging message from one of our esteemed contributors, Dr. Rakesh Verma (J&K Forest Services). “His article, ‘When Trees Become Rights-Bearing Citizens: A Lesson from Canada for India’s Ecological Future,’ published on JK Monitor, received appreciation from La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus, the French non-profit organisation that founded and promotes the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights.”.  Read the message here