The 9th National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship is being hosted by XLRI - Xavier School of Management from January 27-29.
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 three-day conference to be held at XLRI Campus in Jamshedpur.
Elaborating on the theme, Prof. Madhukar Shukla, Chairperson of XLRI’s Fr Arrupe Center for Ecology and 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 added.
The keynote speaker will be MV Ashok, Chief General Manager (Economic Analysis & Research), NABARD HO.
Other eminent speakers at the conference include Anshu Gupta (Founder – Goonj) and Harish Hande (Founder & Chairman, SELCO Solar India) — both are recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award — and Joe Madiath (Founder & Chairman, Gram Vikas). Madiath 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.
Sessions that will be held at the conference are:
~ 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.
For conference registration details and forms, click here . http://tinyurl.com/9thNCSE-Registration