Chandigarh March 14, 2023
A three-day Skill Development Workshop on ‘Increasing Need for Honey Bee Keeping as a Self-Employment Opportunity’ under the aegis of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)was inaugurated at the Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh today. Twenty four participants from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradeshwere selected for this training workshop.Shri Amandeep Singh Bhatti, Director, Chandigarh Skill Development Mission was Chief Guest on this occasion. Prof. Navdeep Goyal, Dean Sciences, Panjab University, Prof. Rajeev Puri, RUSA coordinator were Guest of Honour. Prof. Ram Kumar, Resource person, Prof. Sukhbir Kaur, fellow Panjab University, Dr. Y. K. Rawal, Chairperson of Department of Zoology, Prof. Neelima R. Kumar, Workshop coordinator, faculty members, guests and students attended the function.
Shri Amandeep Singh Bhatti, Director, Chandigarh Skill Development Mission; Director, Higher Education and Director, Technical Education,emphasized onimpetus and thrust given by the Hon’ble Prime Minister for skill development. He also highlighted the major points of the Ministry of Skill development and Entrepreneurship in making the access, expansion of skilling ecosystem and quality of skilling in India. He further stressed upon the immense use of this kind of workshop in mapping the skill gap and urged participants to understand the economics of the beekeeping business.
Guest of Honour, Prof. Navdeep Goyal, Dean Sciences, Panjab University, urged participants to adopt the skill learned from the workshop as profession and initiate it as a start-up project.
Prof. Rajeev Kumar Puri, RUSA co-ordinator, Panjab University, informed the audience about the number of incubation centres in the university and highlighted the possibilities for start-up and innovations projects.
Prof. Neelima R Kumar, Workshop Coordinator, explained the important role that honey bees play in our life. She also shed light on the role of beekeeping as a cottage industry which is an integral part of Khadi and Village Industry Committee and also emphasized by the central government under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package.The workshop will also promote women empowerment and help them to become financially self-dependent, improve status in the society and improve their overall life quality.
