Dr Harvinder Singh Dhaliwal has been appointed as the Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana.The decision was taken during the meeting of the PAU’s board of management.A horticulture expert with decades of research and academic experience, Dr Dhaliwal takes over as the V-C at a time when the state is seeking to break free from its long-standing wheat-paddy cycle.With Punjab facing challenges of depleting groundwater and declining farm profitability, Dr Dhaliwal’s expertise in horticulture is expected to give fresh impetus to crop diversification, promoting fruits, vegetables and other high-value crops, while steering the university towards a more sustainable and farmer-centric agricultural future.Dr Dhaliwal, who was born in Mansa, completed his BSc Agriculture (Hons) in 1984, MSc in Pomology in 1986, and PhD in Pomology in 1991, all from PAU.He was awarded the Sardar Bahadur Lal Singh Gold Medal for securing first position in his Master’s degree.At PAU, he served as Dean, College of Agriculture; Additional Director of Research (Horticulture); and Director of Extension Education.He received the Punjab Sarkar Parman Patar in 2013 and the Smt Harpal Kaur Memorial Award in 2011 in recognition of his outstanding research, teaching and extension work in horticulture.Dr HS Kingra, president of the PAU Teachers’ Association, welcomed the appointment, describing it as “the best possible decision” taken by the Board of Management. He said there could not have been a better choice than Dr Dhaliwal, a distinguished horticulture scientist, to lead PAU at a time when Punjab’s agriculture needed diversification and innovation.Kingra expressed confidence that under Dr Dhaliwal’s leadership, the university would further strengthen its role in research, education and extension while guiding the state towards a more sustainable and profitable agricultural model beyond the wheat-paddy cycle.Dr Dhaliwal’s predecessor, Dr SS Gosal, completed his tenure on August 18.