Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb. 25: A two-day National Conference on “One Health Synergy: Integrating Human, Animal, Plant and Aquatic Life for a Sustainable Future” got underway today in hybrid mode in the conference hall of CIARI. The ICAR–Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Sri Vijaya Puram, in collaboration with the Andaman Science Association (ASA) is organizing the conference which brought together scientists, policymakers, academicians, and stakeholders from across the country to deliberate on integrated health and ecosystem sustainability.
Inaugurating the conference as the chief guest, Shri Sanjay Kumar Sinha, IFS, PCCF, A&N Islands emphasized the relevance of the One Health concept in addressing emerging challenges such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and food safety issues in fragile island ecosystems. He highlighted that endemic flora and fauna form the backbone of a healthy ecosystem and stressed the need for conservation, sustainable resource management, and inter-sectoral collaboration.
Dr. Jai Sunder, President, ASA & Director, ICAR-CIARI; Dr. Lal Ji Singh, Additional Director, BSI and Dr. C. Sivaperuman, Vice President, ASA & Additional Director, ZSI also addressed the gathering.
During the conference, the Fellow Awards, Young Scientist Awards, Best Scientist Awards, and Lifetime Achievement Awards were conferred to honor exceptional contributions to science and research.
Earlier, Dr. T. Sujatha, Principal Scientist and Organizing Secretary, ASA, welcomed the gathering. More than 190 researchers across India participated both in offline and online.