The GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment has launched an initiative to cultivate endangered Himalayan medicinal plants in Darma and Vyas valleys of Pithoragarh, aiming to conserve the wild species, support border security, and boost rural incomes. The initiative, announced at a recent two-day workshop attended by scientists, farmers and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel, targets plants such as kuth, kutki, gandrayani and wild turmeric. KS Kanwal, senior scientist at the institute, warned that several Himalayan medicinal plants are approaching extinction. "Taking these plants from the wild is no longer sustainable. The only lasting solution is to grow them scientifically on farms. It protects the species and strengthens the hands that tend them," he said. Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/