The Prince of Wales, who along with his wife Camilla Parker Bowles began his nine-day India visit from Uttarakhand yesterday, gave the advice to representatives of NGOs who met him at the Indian Military Academy here on the sidelines of a function held in the royal couple's honour at the institute.

"His highness expressed satisfaction at the contribution made by nearly 40 odd NGOs in putting life back on track in the flood-hit areas of Uttarakhand and advised us to work especially on minimising the effects of climate change for disaster mitigation and prevention of a calamity like the one which hit the hill state in mid-June," Jayant Kumar, programme head of CASA, an NGO engaged in relief operations in affected areas said.

Earlier the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were received at the gate of the academy by its Commandant Lt Gen Manvendra Singh and his wife and ushered into the historic Chetwode Building where the Prince viewed a training exercise while the Duchess watched equestrian activities.

The royal couple later met and interacted with IMA cadets, officers, their wives and students of the Rashtriya Indian Military College at Batra Mess on the IMA campus.

IMA Commandant Lt Gen Manvendra Singh also presented the royal couple with a memento and described it as his proud privilege to receive them at the institute.

He said their visit will further cement the ties between the two countries and their armies.

The royal couple also presented a sword to the IMA Commandant as a memento.

The Prince of Wales then visited the Forest Research Institute and toured its Timber Museum. He was conferred with an honorary degree by the institute.

Director and Vice Chancellor of Forest Research Institute P P Bhojvaid conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science on the Prince of Wales in recognition of his contribution to advancing the multilateral agenda in the field of environment, global forests and wildlife.

Prince Charles' initiative, 'International Sustainability Unit (ISU)' works to facilitate consensus on resolving some of the key challenges facing the world, specifically those related to food security, ecosystems resilience and the depletion of natural capital.

In his brief address, the British prince highlighted the issues of sustainability and key environmental challenges facing the world.

He shared his views on climate change and ideas to restore the lost balance between man and nature.

He also congratulated the Forest Research Institute for doing pioneering work in the field of scientific forestry.

The visit by the British royal to FRI was special as the day marks the 84th anniversary of the institute's historic building known for its grandeur.

Prince Charles was given a traditional welcome by the students of FRI University on his arrival.

He was taken round a photo gallery showing important events in the institute's history, eminent foresters and visits of dignitaries.

He also made a visit to the timber museum, where old artifacts were kept on display. These included a cross-section of 704-year-old Deodar stem along with exhibits of wood anatomy, seasoning and dendroclimatology.

The Prince of Wales, also interacted with the students, officers and researchers of FRI. He also planted a sapling of Harad (Terminalia chebuyla), a medicinal tree in FRI campus.

The Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit to the famous Doon School where she met poor children getting education with financial help from students and teachers of the esteemed institution.

Arriving late by about an hour at the school, Camilla Parker Bowles first spent about 15 minutes with the headmaster of the school Peter McLaughlin and his wife Elizabeth at their residence inside the school premises.

She then visited the Art School along with the McLaughlin couple to meet the poor children.

The Duchess took a look at the paintings made by the children and encouraged them.

She also viewed photographs of about 200 students of The Doon School who went to the flashflood-hit areas of Uttarakhand to help affected people and appreciated their effort.