To mark the occasion of World Environment Day 2025, the worthy Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal, released a special 405th edition of Kheti Sandesh, the university’s digital weekly newspaper that reaches over 10.66 lakh farmers across Punjab and beyond. This commemorative edition focused on the 2025 theme: “Ending Plastic Pollution.”
In a significant address, Dr Gosal underscored the pressing need for sustainable agricultural practices and a lifestyle shift to counteract escalating environmental degradation. “We stand at the threshold of an environmental crisis,” Dr. Gosal noted, referencing erratic rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and declining biodiversity. “We must collectively commit to adopting eco-friendly alternatives like natural resource management practices, biofertilizers, bio-mulching, integrated pest management, and water conservation.” Drawing attention to the alarming statistics surrounding global plastic production, estimated at 430 million tonnes annually, Dr. Gosal called upon PAU scientists, students, and residents to unite in a campus-wide initiative to make PAU plastic-free by World Environment Day 2026.
Dr. M.S. Bhullar, Director of Extension Education, PAU, emphasized that environmental conservation is no longer optional but a survival imperative. He urged the farming community to embrace sustainable technologies such as direct seeded rice, alternate wetting and drying, laser levelling, drip irrigation, organic manures, and in-situ residue management that protect both the environment and farmer profitability. “By adopting climate-resilient practices today, we are safeguarding the future of coming generations”, he added.
Supporting the initiative, Dr. Tajinder Singh Riar, Additional Director of Communication, PAU, highlighted the growing responsibility of the university to lead from the front. “Environmental stewardship must become a shared commitment across all sectors, urban, rural, academic, and administrative,” he noted in his statement to the readers of Kheti Sandesh.
Dr. Kuldeep Singh, Associate Director (Public Relations), PAU, was also present during the release ceremony and lauded the initiative for combining outreach, education, and environmental action.
The release event also featured remarks from Dr K.K. Gill, Editor, and Dr Gurpreet Singh Makkar, Co-Editor of Kheti Sandesh, who reaffirmed their editorial commitment to raising environmental consciousness through accessible, farmer-centric communication. “Through this special issue, we aim to translate scientific guidance into actionable insight for our readers,” they said in a joint statement.
The designing team, comprising Ms Sandeep Kaur and Ms Jatinder Kaur, were also present during the event.
https://www.pau.edu/index.php?_act=manageEvent&DO=viewEventDetail&intID=10885
