VARANASI, Sept. 6 -- On the occasion of Teachers' Day on Friday, around 6,000 saplings were planted on the premises of the department of chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) as part of the Ek Ped, Guru Ke Naam campaign. As part of this initiative, a dense forest will be developed on about 0.2 hectares of land using the Miyawaki technique. IIT-BHU director Professor Amit Patra, along with chief guest former DRDO chairman and scientific advisor to the defence minister Dr G Satheesh Reddy planted the saplings and paid tributes to Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. BHU vice-chancellor prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi was present as the guest of honour. Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) chief executive officer Mayur Maheshwari and Varanasi conservator of forest Dr Ravi Kumar Singh also joined the initiative by planting saplings. Appreciating the initiative, Dr Reddy remarked that it would not only contribute to environmental conservation but also reinforce respect for teachers and promote social harmony. Programme coordinator and joint registrar Swati Biswas expressed gratitude to Dr Rajesh Srivastava and his team from VESS INDIA (NGO), highlighting that the inclusion of IIT (BHU) in the series of unique forests of Kashi is a matter of pride. While addressing the on the 'Research and Innovation Day' event, Dr Reddy said that the success of 'Operation Sindoor' is attributed to indigenous technologies including drones, anti-drone technologies, drone-based weapons, surveillance systems, and other defense mechanisms. He appreciated the role of IITs and other institutions, noting that India is now becoming globally competitive in the field of technology. IIT (BHU) has been consistently improving its quality, reflected in its rising global rankings, showcasing India's strength in technology and innovation. BHU VC prof Chaturvedi, present as the guest of honour, expressed his pleasure at seeing a sharp increase in the number of patents filed and granted by IIT (BHU) over the past 15 years, while IIT-BHU director Prof Amit Patra and highlighted the potential of shared research facilities to attract better students and faculty. At the event, UPSIDA and IIT-BHU signed an MoU aimed at "connecting academic excellence with industrial growth and facilitating the transfer of innovations developed at IIT-BHU to industries and young entrepreneurs across Uttar Pradesh." On the occasion, four faculty members were honoured with the Best Teachers Awards in different categories. Dean of Faculty Affairs Prof NK Mukhopadhyay announced the names....