Solan: In a major achievement for Himachal Pradesh, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni, has been selected by the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, to establish and operate the Regional-cum-Facilitation Centre for Northern Region-I (RCFC-NR-I) following a nationwide competitive selection process.
The university secured the prestigious assignment after presenting a proposal led by Dr Devina Vaidya, Director of Research. The proposal team included Dr Rohit Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of Forest Products, as Coordinator, and Dr Pankaj Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, as Co-Coordinator.
The proposal was presented before the NMPB Expert Committee in New Delhi, highlighting the university’s research infrastructure, technical expertise and extensive work in medicinal and aromatic plants.
The Regional-cum-Facilitation Centre, which was previously housed at the Research Institute of Indian System of Medicine (RIISM), Joginder Nagar, has now been entrusted to UHF Nauni. The centre will coordinate National Medicinal Plants Board programmes across Delhi, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
According to the university, the centre will function as a regional hub for the conservation, cultivation, processing, value addition, research and marketing of medicinal plants. It will also facilitate technology dissemination, capacity building, promotion of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Field Collection Practices (GFCP), besides supporting project development, documentation and policy initiatives to strengthen the medicinal plants sector across northern India.
Vice-Chancellor Prof H.S. Baweja described the selection as a matter of pride for the university, saying it reflects the institution’s commitment to advancing research, innovation and farmer-centric development in the medicinal plants sector.
He said the Regional-cum-Facilitation Centre would strengthen collaboration among researchers, farmers, entrepreneurs, industries and government agencies while promoting sustainable cultivation, conservation and value addition of medicinal plants throughout northern India.
