Tuesday, 21 February 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Uttarakhand’s three-day annual spring festival Vasantotsav will start at the Raj Bhawan here on March 3 and will be inaugurated by the governor lieutenant general (retd) Gurmit Singh. Addressing media persons in Raj Bhawan on Monday, the governor said that nearly 30 departments and organisations of the State will participate in this three-day event besides various research institutes, agriculture universities, boards and corporations. These bodies will also display their department’s public utility programmes and techniques through their stalls at the event. A total of 16 competitions with 62 sub-categories will be organised during this event and 186 awards will be given to winners of these competitions on March 5 as per the jury’s decision. School children in the age group of five to 18 years will be participating in the painting competition. He said that specially-abled and underprivileged children will also participate in the painting competition.
The governor informed that four new categories will also be introduced this year in the competition which are rooftop gardening, bonsai, terrarium and honey. The horticulture department is also taking initiative to encourage the participation of those individuals and farmers who want to grow and trade in flowers. Buyer and seller meet will also be organised by the Uttarakhand Horticulture Council to promote the trade of flowers for which, the council would invite flower buyers and sellers. He also informed that Timaru (zanthoxylum armatum) has been selected for the issue of special cover. He said that Timru is a thorny, evergreen and bushy plant found in mountainous states including Uttarakhand which has various medicinal properties.
The Horticulture department will also felicitate horticulture entrepreneurs and farmers and others working in this field of industry to encourage them. The governor said that flower production of only 150 hectares was done before the formation of Uttarakhand which has now increased to 1,609.93 hectares in which a variety of flowers like rose, marigold, tuberose, gerbera, carnation, lilium, chrysanthemum and orchid among others are grown across the State. “Uttarakhand is presently doing an annual business of flowers worth about Rs 250 crore,” added Singh. He also released ‘Bagwan Dainandini’ of the Horticulture Department to provide important information related to horticulture to the farmers. The secretary to governor Ravinath Raman, additional secretary of agriculture Ranveer Singh Chauhan, additional secretary to governor Swati S Bhadauria and director of Horticulture HS Baweja were also present on the occasion.
