Padma Vibhushan Dr R Chidambaram inaugurating the National Conference by lighting the ceremonial lamp in the presence of Ms Marja Einig and Mr S S Mundra
The Alumni Association of N.C.E Bengal & Jadavpur University’s Mumbai chapter hosted its 15th National Conference on 4th March 2023 in Mumbai. In addition to some distinguished guest speakers, various technical sessions were attended by luminaries from the worlds of Education, Science, Technology, and Business. Over 165 people from India, the US, Germany, and Norway participated in this event, including scientists, professors, industry leaders, business professionals, members of the German embassy, and PhD. Scholars.
The day-long Conference titled ‘New India @ 2030: Tailoring for Sustainable Growth: Reform, Perform, Transform’ reviewed India’s readiness to achieve sustainable growth and discussed transformative and accelerated actions needed to accomplish the intermediate target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The day’s proceedings were initiated by Mr Ashok Adhikary, Chairman of the Conference Committee and Dr Rajesh Singh, Joint Director & Head of the Department of banking and financial services of ASSOCHAM, on behalf of both the organisers. Padma Vibhushan Dr. R Chidambaram, the former principal scientific advisor to the Government of India and former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, inaugurated the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp. He was joined by the Guests of Honour, Ms. Marja Einig, Deputy Consulate General, German Consulate General Mumbai, and Mr. S S Mundra, Former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India.
A power-packed opening session featuring some of India’s most prominent thinkers was followed by three technical sessions. Mr. K. Nandakumar, CMD of Chemtrols Industries, chaired the first panel titled ‘$10 trillion Economy – Challenges and Opportunities’. Caprihans India CEO Robin Banerjee, Blackstone India’s former ED Gautam Chakravarti, Yes Bank’s Senior Economist Radhika Piplani, and Power Gilt Treasuries’ Director Vineet Nahata spoke at the session.
Mr. Dibyendu Chakraborty, Convenor of the Conference Committee and alumnus of Jadavpur University chaired the second session, ‘Climate Risk and Sustainable Finance’. Dr. Joy Mukhopadhyay, Education & Management Consultant, Dr. Easwaran Narassimhan, Assistant Professor of Centre for Policy Research, and Ms Anagha Deodhar, Senior Economist of ICICI Bank, participated in the session.
Mr Alexy Thomas, Partner of EY, chaired the last session of the conference titled ‘Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Growth’. Mr Aparup Sengupta, the former Global CEO of Aegis, Mr Shekhar Sanyal, Director & Country Head of Institution of the IET, and Mr Vivek Roy, Head of Digital Connectivity & Power at Siemens, participated in the panel discussion.
Speaking at the Conference, Chief Guest Dr Chidambaram said, “Today, more than ever in history, Technology is Power and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future. Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Control regimes are therefore used to achieve technology dominance in fields as diverse as human genomics and nuclear weapons. Technology leadership is the best way to counter this. An equal system of science, technology, and innovation is essential for developing a knowledge economy in India. An advanced technology superstructure is also needed but requires a strong foundation of excellent higher education and basic research.”
“India has an independent Judicial System that has delivered several important judgments and decisions that have significantly impacted our society. However, our judicial process can be prolonged and expensive at times. Consequently, a large section of society cannot benefit from a well-functioning judicial process. To achieve our goal of being a fair society by 2030, India must address this issue,” said Mr S S Mundra during his inaugural address.
“Climate change increases climate risk, which, in turn, requires immense sums of money for mitigations to recover the infrastructure. We urgently need new technologies to manage the dramatic effects of natural disasters like floods, droughts and storms. There are many sustainable development goals on which India and Germany already cooperate closely. Our technical agencies are collaborating on 104 projects in India in fields such as agriculture, solar, urban development, and mobility,” said Ms Marja Einig during her address.
“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate The Alumni Association of N.C.E Bengal & Jadavpur University’s Mumbai chapter for their efforts to keep the alumni network active and alive by contributing your knowledge and experience to the discussions of the utmost relevant topics of the day,” Ms Einig added further.
Mr Rajat Dasgupta, a distinguished alumnus of Jadavpur University and the former President & CEO of Chemtex Global Engineering India, said, “I would like to congratulate the Conference Management Committee for organising a national conference on a topic that is so relevant today. It was a learning experience for the participants, especially our young alumni, as they heard renowned dignitaries from various fields discuss their ideas and knowledge. I would like to thank our donors in particular. The conference would not have been possible without the generous support of our donors.”
In conjunction with the National Conference, the alums of Jadavpur University Mumbai published its 40th edition of AANCEB magazine. Edited under the guidance of Mr Ramani Iyer, a noted telecom expert who completed his graduation in Electronics & Telecommunications from Jadavpur University in 1965, the magazine features the views and ideas of the distinguished alumni, many of whom are thought leaders in their respective fields. Additionally, it provides information about the Jadavpur University Mumbai Alumni Association and the Mumbai Branch Trust. The Mumbai chapter of the Alumni also publishes a literary magazine titled Kaleidoscope, edited by Mrs Sumita Ghosh, an alumnus of Jadavpur University who completed her Masters in English literature in 1978.
About the Alumni Association N.C.E. Bengal & Jadavpur University (Mumbai) The Mumbai branch of the Alumni Association, N.C.E Bengal and Jadavpur University was established in 1956 to provide an umbrella under which Alumni could meet, interact and socialise. Soon after, the objective was enlarged to include contributing to society through knowledge sharing and charitable activities. The Association Organized Seminars, with the active participation and support of Corporates, on topical themes of national interest and organised cultural events to raise funds for charitable activities. The Mumbai branch has over 500 active members connected with various core and knowledge-based industries, professional organisations and Government agencies in and around Mumbai.
