LUCKNOW, March 15 -- Prof Anil Bhardwaj, director, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, said on Saturday that the next two decades will be extremely significant for Indian space research. He elaborated on the developmental journey of the Chandrayaan missions. He was speaking on the concluding day of the two-day national conference "Geocon-2026: Sustainable Environment for Geoscience and Climate Change," organised by the department of geology, University of Lucknow. During the eight sessions of the conference, participants from 54 universities and institutions across the country presented 215 research papers and posters. In addition, 8 keynote lectures and 6 plenary lectures were delivered, in which experts from various prestigious institutions shared their research findings and views, highlighting important issues related to Earth sciences, environment, and climate change. Prof Avinash Chandra Pandey, director, Inter-University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi, said universities and institutions are continuously engaging in discussions on this important subject. Rajendra Kumar, additional director general, Geological Survey of India, highlighted the importance of modern technologies in geological mapping and mineral exploration. Prof MG Thakkar, director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, underscored the need to understand past climate changes to better manage future challenges. Dr Nilay Khare from the ministry of earth sciences, New Delhi, stressed that sustainable utilisation of ocean resources and protection of the coastal environment are the need of the hour. In the same session, Pankaj Kumar from the Inter-University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi, shared insights on the importance of advanced laboratory instruments and experimental research in the field of earth sciences. During the poster session of Geocon-2026, researchers and scientists from various universities and research institutions presented 65 research papers through posters. The event was attended by Dr Sunil Singh, director, National Institute of Oceanography, along with Prof Anil Bhardwaj, Prof Uma Kant Shukla, Prof Santosh Kumar Singh, Prof Dhruv Sen Singh, co-convener Dr Rajesh Singh, co-convener Dr Manoj Kumar Yadav and Dr Vineet Kumar.htc...