Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Kashmir chapter of the University of Jammu’s Centre for Regional Studies, Culture, Dialects and Emotional Intelligence in Budgam. The initiative brings together research on regional studies, culture, dialects and emotional intelligence, with the stated aim of deepening understanding of Jammu and Kashmir’s social and civilisational heritage. During the event, Sinha said the centre would examine the region beyond its geography by connecting language, folklore, cultural practices, arts, faith, traditions and lived experiences. He said integrating regional knowledge with emotional intelligence would help strengthen cultural, historical and human connections while preserving the area’s diverse intellectual and linguistic traditions. The proposed work covers preservation of manuscripts, creation of digital archives, linguistic mapping and ethnographic studies. It will also include research on pilgrimage and tourism, mountain ecology and local entrepreneurship, along with fellowships for young scholars. These activities are intended to create a shared repository of knowledge for future generations and support systematic documentation of the region. Sinha linked the centre’s development to the changing role of universities amid rapid technological change and advances in artificial intelligence (AI). He said emotional intelligence and technological capabilities complemented each other, and identified continuous learning, adaptability, ethical awareness and multidisciplinary collaboration as important features of future-ready institutions. The Lieutenant Governor said the main centre at the University of Jammu and its Kashmir chapter had the potential to become model research institutions. He said they could contribute to knowledge creation, cultural preservation and human-centred development, while improving the global standing of universities in Jammu and Kashmir. The chapter’s foundation marks the formal start of its development in Budgam.