Awantipora, Nov 12 :
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said that Jammu and Kashmir has “created a new destiny and woven new dreams,” stressing that the youth must protect this progress against forces attempting to derail peace and development.
He was addressing the valedictory session of the Foundation Day celebrations of the Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST) as per news agency Kashmir News Corner — KNC, where he inaugurated the IUST Innovation Campus and the new Administration Block at the main campus.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said the UT has achieved massive transformation over the past five years through heavy investments in human capital, research and innovation, incubation centres, and university infrastructure. He called on young professionals to focus on development-oriented strategies to shape the economic future of Jammu & Kashmir.
The LG highlighted the remarkable growth of IUST since 2021, noting that academic programmes have increased from 41 to 90, introducing cutting-edge and interdisciplinary courses such as AI, Robotics, Space Technology, Data Sciences, and apprenticeship-based skill programmes. Applications across multiple disciplines, he said, have risen from 3,000 in 2021 to 7,600 in 2025, with enhanced diversity of students from across J&K and beyond.
Sharing key achievements, LG Sinha said that external funding for research at IUST has jumped from just ₹2 crore annually before 2021 to over ₹69 crore in four years. The university has also seen significant innovation outcomes — 32 patents granted, 77 published, and 33 more filed. Two faculty members have been ranked among India’s top scientists in their respective fields.
He said IUST has grown from “zero start-ups” in 2021 to incubating 93 start-ups in four years, hosting more than 225 incubatees, and nurturing award-winning innovations in renewable energy, healthcare, and IT.
The LG asked the university to prioritise research on low-cost energy-resilient housing, reuse of construction material, cold-mix technology for long-lasting roads, and new communication solutions for remote regions without traditional towers.
Referring to decades of violence, LG Sinha said terrorism “was the biggest enemy of the youth of Jammu & Kashmir,” destroying dreams and aspirations for more than three decades. Today, he said, young people are realising their ambitions — something “intolerable” to the neighbouring country and its supporters.
“We must stay vigilant against this ecosystem. Jammu Kashmir has created a new destiny, a new identity and woven new dreams. This must be protected at all costs, and those trying to shatter the dreams of our youth must be strictly dealt with,” he said.
The event was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Higher Education Shantmanu; Vice Chancellors Prof. Shakil A. Romshoo and Prof. Nilofer Khan; Director SKIMS Prof. M. Ashraf Ganie; Dean Academic Affairs Prof. A.H. Moon; Registrar Prof. Abdul Wahid; senior officials, faculty members and students. (KNC)