Assam: Summit on ‘Bio-Economy’ held at Kaziranga University
Three-day North East Sustainable and Inclusive Development Summit (NESIDS) on ‘Bio-Economy’ held at Kaziranga University.
Jorhat
With the aim of driving policy and research with regard to sustainable and inclusive development in the North East region, Kaziranga University organized a three-day National Summit on Sustainable and Inclusive Development, with the theme, “Bio-Economy for Sustainable and Inclusive Development of North-East”, in association with CSIR-NISTADS, one of India’s renowned policy research institutes, on 6th, 7th and 8th March 2019. The summit, supported extensively by Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), highlighted North East India as a critical area for the confluence of sustainable and inclusive development.
In its second edition, NESIDS 2019 also provided a platform for experts to discuss, deliberate and arrive at a policy roadmap for sustainable and inclusive development of Northeast, with a focus on Bio-Economy. The first edition of this three-day summit (NESIDS 2018) was held at Kaziranga University in April 2018, bringing together intellectual minds from diverse academic as well as non-academic niches from all over India.
The sub-themes of NESIDS 2019 this year included Global and Regional Perspectives of Bio-Economy, Biodiversity and Sustainable Bio-Economy and its potential in the North East, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Bio-Economy, Women Empowerment, Skill Development and Agronomical Practices and Policies in relation to Sustainable Bio-Economy.
The inaugural session was held on 6th March 2019, in the presence of several distinguished guests and dignitaries. The Chief Guest at the Inauguration was Shri S.K Barua, Managing Director, Numaligarh Refinery Limited, with Guests of Honour Shri Bhaskar Baruah, Former Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India and Dr. G. Narahari Sastry, Director, CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat. The Keynote Address at the inauguration was delivered by Dr. P. Goswami, Former Director, CSIR-NISTADS.
The Summit also saw the presence of esteemed dignitaries such as Dr. T. Madhan Mohan, Advisor, Biotechnology Programme Management Cell, Dr. Ram Boojh, National Programme Officer, UNESCO Asia, Prof. Mahendra Lama, Professor JNU, Dr. Anjan Ray, Director, CSIR-IIP Dehradun, Dr. Ashwani Gupta, Scientist G, DSIR, Dr. Anup K. Misra, Director, Assam Science Technology & Environment Council, Dr. Massimo Spadoni, Scientific Attaché, Embassy of Italy in New Delhi, Dr. P.K Mishra, Vice-Chancellor, Kaziranga University, Ms. Rainy Khetan, Director, Kaziranga University, along with several other prominent delegates and participants from all over the country.
More than 25 distinguished researchers and speakers from different sectors from across the country attended the summit and presented their research interests and findings, aiming to aid towards forming holistic policies for the development and sustainability of the North East. These premier organizations include Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Milia Islamiya , NEDFi, UNESCO Asia, Balipara Foundation, CSIR-IIP, Assam Agriculture University among several other notable names.
In the specific context of North East India, NESIDS 2019 highlighted the importance of inclusive development policies with special attention to bio-economy. The multi-disciplinary deliberations with inputs from dignitaries, researchers and scholars definitely contributed towards the highlighting of a number of novel and significant observations during the course of the three days of the summit, which saw eight thematic sessions.
The time to consider a policy on inclusive and sustainable development for the rapidly developing North East region has never been more pronounced, and Kaziranga University, along with CSIR-NISTADS is committed to the creation of tangible efforts to bring immediate and positive changes in the region. Through events such as these, both institutes of learning and research, have significantly enlarged the scope and delivery of higher education in the region, so as to meet the needs of an emerging India.
