SKUAST-Kashmir opens 4 new facilities, sets target of 100 student startups
By TUF News Desk · Published 12 November 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha set a target of 100 student-led startups within a year for the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir on Wednesday, November 11, as he opened four new facilities on the Srinagar campus. The university is a state public university set up in 1982.
Sinha said agricultural universities are the places where concerns linked to food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development can be turned into concrete solutions.
Smart irrigation, built for small farms
The first facility is a solar-powered Internet of Things system for irrigation and fertigation. It measures what a crop needs and then supplies water and nutrients in the right quantity at the right time. Sinha said the system could help small and marginal farmers most, by cutting down on labour-heavy irrigation and reducing dependence on conventional energy.
He asked the university to take the technology to villages within the coming year and to involve farmers in improving it. Sensor data from the fields, he said, should be turned into simple advisories in local languages and sent to farmers through digital platforms.
A workshop, a startup office and a health centre
The second facility is a Prototype Design and Development Centre. It will help turn research ideas into farm tools and machines that can actually be used in the field, and Sinha said it should close the gap between laboratory work and what happens on a farm.
The third is a new Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Sinha called it a transformative step for the campus and asked the university to build it into a place where young founders can find mentoring, guidance and help in raising capital. The fourth is a Health and Wellness Centre for students and faculty members.
100 startups in a year
The startup target was the clearest number of the day. Sinha asked the university to help set up at least 100 student-led enterprises and startups from the campus within the coming year, and he urged students to become job creators.
He named seed testing, cold-chain management and soil health services as areas where student enterprises could start.
“We must make data and technology partners of the farmer. Our goal should be to establish at least 100 student-led enterprises and startups from the SKUAST-Kashmir campus within the coming year,” Sinha said.
What the university was asked to do next
Sinha asked the university to act as a link between laboratories, cooperative societies, farmer-producer organisations and small farmers. He said youth and women farmers should sit at the centre of every programme in agriculture and allied sectors.
“The University must become a strong bridge between laboratories and cooperative societies, between farmer-producer organisations, and between researchers and small and marginal farmers. I want youth and women farmers to be at the centre of every programme,” he said.
He also spoke about climate change, saying sustainable development and care for the environment should sit at the centre of the university’s identity. The real test of any new farm technology, he said, is whether it raises the income of a small farmer. “The real success of any modern technology or modern tools will come only when their benefits reach the small farmers in villages and bring about a real increase in their incomes,” he said.
Sinha pointed to the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, saying its projects and farmer-focused policies over the past six years have helped strengthen the rural economy of Jammu and Kashmir and opened up work for young people.
On the occasion, he released a coffee table book on the university’s achievements and journey, and launched a Multi-Tier Data Management and Accreditation Workflow System to strengthen how the university handles institutional data and accreditation.
Agriculture Production Minister Javid Ahmad Dar, Vice-Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmed Ganai, SKIMS Director Prof Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Akshay Labroo and Registrar Prof Azmat Alam Khan attended the ceremony, along with heads of departments, senior officials, faculty members and students. More details are on the official SKUAST-Kashmir website.
Frequently asked questions
What four facilities opened at SKUAST-Kashmir?
A solar-powered IoT-based irrigation and fertigation system, a Prototype Design and Development Centre, a Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a Health and Wellness Centre.
What is the 100-startup target at SKUAST-Kashmir?
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha asked the university to help set up at least 100 student-led enterprises and startups from its campus within the coming year.
When were the facilities inaugurated?
On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at the university’s Srinagar campus.
What is SKUAST-Kashmir?
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir is a state public university in Srinagar, set up in 1982.
Frequently asked questions
What four facilities opened at SKUAST-Kashmir?
A solar-powered IoT-based irrigation and fertigation system, a Prototype Design and Development Centre, a Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a Health and Wellness Centre.
What is the 100-startup target at SKUAST-Kashmir?
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha asked the university to help set up at least 100 student-led enterprises and startups from its campus within the coming year.
When were the facilities inaugurated?
On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at the university's Srinagar campus.
What is SKUAST-Kashmir?
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir is a state public university in Srinagar, set up in 1982.
Sources: Greater Kashmir, Kashmir Life