The 72 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) organised a free medical camp on Thursday in Jamola, a remote hilly area of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jitendra Singh Yadav, Commanding Officer of the 72 Battalion CRPF, said, “This medical camp has been organised by the 72 Battalion. We have organised these camps in other places also, because this is a very remote area, and people might not get the proper medical facilities.”
He added that, in addition to medical camps, the battalion is conducting other civic action programmes and plans to carry out de-addiction programmes in various locations.
Earlier, on March 3, a one-day workshop was organised at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, which brought together 100 apple orchardists to explore integrating lavender cultivation and beekeeping into their existing farms. The initiative aimed to enhance farm income, promote ecological sustainability, and reduce dependency on a single crop.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director of CSIR, said, “We developed an innovative model through which we integrate apple, orchard and lavender seed in an apiculture production system. The underlying idea of this innovative model is how we make apple production cheaper, and farmers can also have additional income from lavender based product. All together, these crop networks will maintain ecological sustainability.”
The workshop focused on promoting crop diversification by integrating lavender cultivation and beekeeping within existing apple orchards to enhance farm income and ecological sustainability. Lavender cultivation provides an additional revenue source through essential oil production, supports pollinator activity, while beekeeping improves fruit set, overall orchard productivity, and honey production.
Scientists and technical officers delivered practical sessions on scientific lavender cultivation practices, apiary management, pest and disease control, and value addition strategies. Demonstrations were also conducted to showcase best practices in honey extraction and processing, along with guidance on market linkages and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Participants expressed keen interest in adopting the integrated model, recognising its potential to reduce dependency on a single crop, mitigate risks associated with climate variability, and create sustainable livelihood avenues. This initiative is part of broader efforts to strengthen resilient agro-ecosystems and promote innovative farming systems across the Kashmir Valley.