PAU conducts summer drink training for rural women
Babushai Bureau
Ludhiana (Punjab), May 4, 2026: The All India Coordinated Research Project-Women in Agriculture (AICRP-WIA), College of Community Science, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organized a series of hands-on trainings during April 2026 in the villages of Halwara, Akalgarh, Boparai Kalan, Purain and Kullewal. The trainings focused on the preparation of healthy summer drinks such as watermelon mint cooler, mulberry juice, bael juice, chana sattu and lemonade.
Dr Ritu Mittal Gupta, Unit Coordinator of AICRP-WIA, highlighted that keeping in view the prevailing weather conditions, the trainings were specifically designed to promote the use of locally available raw materials for preparing nutritious and refreshing summer beverages in all the adopted villages of AICRP-WIA.
Dr Renuka Aggarwal and Dr Shivani Rana emphasized the importance of such drinks in maintaining hydration, preventing heat stress, and enhancing nutritional intake during the summer season. Educational literature and seed kits were also distributed among participants.
Dr Prachi Bisht and Dr Prerna Kapila elaborated on the importance of kitchen gardening, noting that this initiative is a continuation of efforts over the past five years during which seasonal vegetable seeds have been regularly distributed to encourage household-level nutritional security.
The trainings included practical demonstrations and active participation of rural women with a focus on simple, low-cost, and nutritious beverage preparation.
Alongside promoting healthy dietary practices, participants were encouraged to adopt kitchen gardening for year-round access to fresh and safe vegetables.
The sessions were conducted by young professionals Dr Shikha Sharma and Dr Archana Tewari, who provided detailed guidance and hands-on experience to the participants.
These initiatives reflect AICRP-WIA commitment to strengthening rural livelihoods and enhancing nutritional security through community-based interventions.
Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research; Dr Kiran Bains, Dean, College of Community Science and Dr Deepika Vig, Coordinator of Research, appreciated the efforts of the team. The village sarpanches thanked the AICRP team for the need-based efforts and enthusiastic participation from rural women was recorded across all the villages.