Consultation on State Human Development Report on Climate Change Held at Nauni University

Nauni— The Department of Environmental Science at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, hosted a consultation meeting focused on the formulation of the State Human Development Report (SHDR) on Climate Change. The meeting aimed to gather insights for drafting a roadmap for climate-resilient human development in Himachal Pradesh.

The session witnessed the participation of Dr Suresh Attri, Chief Scientist cum Member Secretary , Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change (DEST&CC), Government of Himachal Pradesh, along with a team of experts and representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). University representatives included Dr S.K. Bhardwaj, Head of the Department of Environmental Science and Coordinator of the SHDR initiative, faculty members, subject experts, and PhD scholars. Dr Vishal Rana, Joint Director of Research and Dr Rakesh Sharma, Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology, also shared their perspectives on sustainable development under changing climatic conditions.

In his welcome address, Dr Bhardwaj highlighted the department’s ongoing work in climate impact research and emphasized the need for an actionable blueprint that connects scientific understanding with grassroots realities. Discussions cantered on region-specific vulnerabilities and adaptive strategies in the agriculture, horticulture, and forestry sectors. Dr Vishal Rana underlined the importance of fruit crop diversification as an effective adaptation strategy. During the focused consultation, Dr Attri and the UNDP team engaged directly with scholars to incorporate both scientific and community-level inputs into the report. He acknowledged the department’s proactive initiatives and noted that similar consultations are being held across the state to ensure wide participation and relevance. In his concluding remarks, Dr Attri appreciated the university's efforts and reiterated DEST&CC and UNDP’s commitment to advancing inclusive, climate-resilient development through collaborative action.

Participants included Simran Aggarwal, Monica, and Duni Chand from DEST&CC along with university scientists Dr Hukam Chand, Dr Pratima, Dr Kartikey, Dr Purnima Mehta, Dr Pankaj Sharma, Dr Pramod Verma and Dr Sanjeev Kumar.