Institution to take 100 internees from SKUAST each year
SRINAGAR: Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Shailendra Kumar, has been conferred with the prestigious National Geospatial Leadership Award 2025 in recognition of his outstanding leadership, commitment and visionary guidance in promoting the geospatial science and technology, particularly through effective implementation and extension of the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP).
The award was presented to the Principal Secretary today in a ceremony that was part of the National Geospatial Awards 2025 (Edition 02), June a flagship initiative of the FOSSEE GIS project, organized by IIT Bombay under the aegis of the National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT), Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The felicitation was carried out by Professor Pennan Chinnasamy, Co-Principal Investigator, FOSSEE, IIT Bombay and Co-Convenor of the Awards, along with Mohamed Kasim Khan M, National Coordinator FOSSEE GIS (NMEICT), IIT Bombay and organizing Secretary of the event.
The award acknowledged Kumar’s significant role in driving adoption of geospatial tools and open-source GIS technologies in the agricultural sector of Jammu and Kashmir, thereby aligning with the objectives of the National Geospatial Policy 2022 and the Indian Space Policy 2023.
His instrumental support in integrating geospatial solutions into HADP has not only improved data-driven decision-making but also enhanced transparency, efficiency and resource optimization in the agri-governance framework.
This year’s National Geospatial Awards recognized around 100 distinguished personalities across India, including 10 IAS officers, 1 Armed Forces officer, 17 eminent scientists from ISRO, 5 Vice Chancellors and over 60 senior faculty members from premier institutions, for their remarkable contributions to the geospatial ecosystem in India.
The event was spearheaded by a core organizing team comprising Professor Kannan Moudgalya, Principal Investigator, FOSSEE (Convenor); Professor Pennan Chinnasamy, Co-PI, FOSSEE (Co-Convenor); Mohamed Kasim Khan M (Organizing Secretary) and Madhulika Goyal, Senior Manager, FOSSEE (Awards Function Coordinator).
Notably, it was also revealed during the event that IIT Bombay is annually inducting over 1,000 internees from across the country, with 100 internship opportunities extended to SKUAST-Kashmir students under the FOSSEE GIS initiative, aiming to skill the youth in advanced geospatial technologies and prepare them for future employment challenges.
The same is the result of an MoU signed by the Agricultural University with this institution last year.
The Principal Secretary, APD, extended gratitude to the visiting faculty members on part of the administration and the University for this unique opportunity to its students.
It is also worth mentioning here that the tireless efforts to demonstrate commitment to innovation, capacity building and technological empowerment in agriculture has earned accolades and national recognition to this department for its many forward-looking initiatives taken over the past few years.