19th January 2017: The ‘9th National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship’ is being hosted by XLRI- Xavier School of Management on 27th to 29th January, 2017.
Around 150-170 social entrepreneurs, development sector professionals, policy makers, academics and management students are expected to assemble and confabulate on the theme – “Entrepreneurship for a Sustainable Planet” at the 3-day conference to be held at XLRI Campus in Jamshedpur.
Elaborating upon the theme, Prof. Madhukar Shukla, Chairperson of XLRI’s Fr Arrupe Center for Ecology & Sustainability and the coordinator for the conference said, “Since mid-20th century, following the industrial and post-industrial revolution the size and scale of human enterprises have grown exponentially. However, this growth has also subjected nature, and the manifold benefits it provides to humanity, to an increasing risk. Over the last few decades, we have witnessed increasing depletion of forests and natural resources, decline in animal population and extinction of species, increasing pollution of air and water resources, extreme weather conditions, etc. The 21st century presents humanity with a dual challenge to maintain the balance of nature in all of its many forms and functions and to create an equitable home for people on a finite planet. While the interdependence between the social, economic and environmental agendas is gradually being recognized at the highest levels (as defined in the Sustainable Development Goals), over the years, numerous entrepreneurial individuals have been experimenting and developing models of sustainable living. The learnings from such existing benchmarks and models is extremely relevant to inform development strategies, economic models, business models and lifestyle choices.”
“The two-fold purpose of the conference is to showcase innovative social entrepreneurial ventures by individual entrepreneurs, NGOs, corporates, and government agencies, and to provide a common platform for development sector professionals for sharing experiences, issues and knowledge,” Prof. Shukla further added.
The Keynote Speaker will be Mr. MV Ashok (Chief General Manager (Economic Analysis & Research), NABARD HO).
Among the eminent speakers at the conference are Anshu Gupta (Founder – Goonj) and Harish Hande (Founder & Chairman, SELCO Solar India) both of whome are recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award; Joe Madiath (Founder & Chairman, Gram Vikas). He is also the recipient of Kyoto World Water Grand Prize and UNESCO’s global award for his work on water and sanitation issues; Poonam Bir Kasturi (Founder & Director, Daily Dump) who is the recipient of “Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2016” given during World Economic Form.
Other speakers and panelists at the conference to also include – Ashish Gupta (Founder, Jaivik Haat), Birupakshya Dixit (Programme Coordinator-India, Practical Action), Chami Devi Murmu (Convener, Sahayogi Mahila Samiti), Kalyan Akkipedi (Founder, Proto Village), Laxman Singh (Secretary and Founder, Gram Vikas Navyuvak Mandal, Laporiya), Vimlendu Jha (Founder & Executive Director, Swechha), Rahul Banerjee (Social Activist, Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sangath), Hemant Pinjan (CSR Specialist, Watershed Organisation Trust – WOTR) among others who would share their experiences, issues and challenges.
Various sessions would be held at the conference:
Options for Clean Energy
Rejuvenating Land & Biodiversity
Initiatives in Managing Water Resources
Technological Solutions for Sustainability
Models for Sustainable Agriculture
Creating Sustainable Communities
Upcycling Waste to Resource
Promoting Sustainability Mindset & Practices
The conference is organized by Fr Arrupe Centre for Ecology and Sustainability (FACES) and SIGMA, XLRI’s students’ committee for social initiatives.
