Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: Jammu & Kashmir BJP General Secretary and former Mayor Baldev Singh Billawaria, along with BJP Spokesperson and former Vice Chairman Balbir Ram Rattan, have welcomed the recently approved project of 100 school herbal gardens for the Jammu division, describing it as a visionary and public-oriented initiative of Narendra Modi government.
It is noteworthy that under the Union Ministry of AYUSH, the National Medicinal Plants Board has approved this project at an estimated cost of around 53 lakh. Under the initiative, nearly 100 schools across all districts of the Jammu division will develop herbal gardens, with approximately 10 schools covered in each district.
Welcoming the project, Baldev Singh Billawaria said that in today’s modern era, where the younger generation is increasingly drifting away from nature and traditional knowledge, such initiatives will reconnect them with the importance and utility of medicinal plants. He said that these gardens will not only take students beyond book-based learning but also provide them with practical knowledge about identifying plants, understanding their properties, and learning about their uses.
He further said that the scheme will enrich students’ knowledge while also playing a significant role in promoting awareness about health, environmental conservation, and traditional systems of medicine.
Expressing his views, Balbir Ram Rattan said that herbal gardens are a major step towards environmental conservation. He noted that this initiative will help inculcate a green mindset among children and make them more responsible towards nature. At the same time, it will strengthen respect and understanding for the AYUSH-based traditional healthcare system.
Both, Baldev Singh Billawaria and Balbir Ram Rattan expressed hope that the effective implementation of this project will enhance health awareness among students in the coming years and encourage them to actively participate in conserving natural resources. They also urged the concerned departments to implement the scheme in a timely and high-quality manner so that society can derive maximum benefit from it.
In loving memory of Dr. Priya Ranjan: A mentor who treated me like family
I will always remember Dr. Priya Ranjan not only as the Chairman of JK Monitor, but as a mentor, guide and elder brother whose kindness shaped my life and work. Write a tribute at In Loving Memory · Dr. Priya Ranjan
When he appointed me Editor-in-Chief of JK Monitor (www.jkmonitor.org), he never made me feel like an employee. He treated me as a younger brother—with warmth, trust and respect. His guidance was generous, his encouragement sincere, and his door was always open whenever I needed help or advice. I will remain deeply grateful for the confidence he placed in me and for all that he taught me.
Dr. Ranjan was a rare and noble human being: kind-hearted, humble and always ready to help. He was also a visionary intellectual whose ideas reached beyond the immediate moment. He brought together deep knowledge, curiosity and a belief in using one’s abilities to make a meaningful difference.
The tributes from his students and colleagues speak of the same qualities I was fortunate to experience myself: a brilliant mind joined with a compassionate heart, and a mentor who made people feel valued. His influence lives on in the people he guided, the work he inspired and the many lives he touched.
For me, he will always be more than a respected chairman or a remarkable intellectual. He will be the elder brother who welcomed me, believed in me and guided me with affection. I will carry his lessons and his kindness with me always. May his soul rest in eternal peace. He will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered and never forgotten.
(Ajmer Alam Wani)
