FAISALABAD City News

‘Universities building communities
through transferring technologies’
From Our Correspondent
FAISALABAD: Higher Education Commission Chairman Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmad has said that universities are building communities through transferring their technologies among the people.
He said this while inaugurating an exhibition at the UAF on Saturday. UAF Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Austrian International Institute for Applied System Analysis Director General Dr Pavel Kabat, Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Rai Niaz, Farmers Associates of Pakistan executive member Afaq Tiwana, University of Poonch, Rawalakot, Vice-Chancellor Dr Manzoor Hussain Khan and other notables were also present. More than 40 stalls have been set-up at the exhibition. A large number of people visited the exhibition, which is a part of the UAF ongoing six-day spring festival that would continue till March 23. Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said that researchers should not pile up in the libraries and they should impart their knowledge to students. He added that researchers and experts should come up with the innovative ideas to give the suggestion to policy makers about the agriculture, energy and water issue. He said that the country was under the grip of water scarcity as the per capita water availability had reached to the threshold level. He said that the HEC was making all-out efforts to promote education, quality researchers and trained manpower to address the issue of the common man. Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that country was passing through the multiple challenges including food insecurity, water issue, unemployment and the other areas. He said that the festival was meant to provide a platform to the farming community, common man, scientists, academia, industry and policy makers to sit together and to find out the way to enhance agricultural productivity. He stressed upon the need for development of rural areas as the poverty alleviation was directly linked to it. He said that the research portfolio of the UAF had touched to Rs 2 billion. Dr Pavel Kabat stressed upon the need to enhance scientific partnerships with academic community and to develop the strategic collaboration. He said that the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis was conducting policy-oriented research into problems of a global nature. Prof Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad said that per acre production of the country was very low as compared to other countries. He said that efforts were needed on the part of scientists, academia and other stakeholders to address the issue.