Date of Event: 11-13 November, 2022
Delegates from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham participated in the 7th Ideal Village Conference on Rural Transformation for Sustainable Growth jointly organised by Stanford Ideal Village Project, WHEELS Global Foundation, Pan IIT-Alumni, CII, FIPA, FICCI, AARDO and Banaras Hindu University (Institute of Management Studies), India. The conference aims to launch a nationwide Movement for creating Ideal Villages which uplift and empower underserved communities through the adoption of Best Practices in Rural Development and appropriate Technology.
In the event held from 11-13 Nov 22 at Varanasi India, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham had set up a stall in the exhibition arena that showcased the universities work in the area of sustainable development in various thematic areas by virtue of the flagship Live-in-Labs® program. The event was attended by a 7 member team from Amrita led by the provost, Dr. Maneesha V Ramesh. Other eminent experts who graced the event included representatives from the Gates Foundation, US Office of National Drug Control Policy, WGF Health Council, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, USA), Rockefeller Foundation, New York, USA), Harvard Medical School & The Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, WGF Health Council, Jadeja Motwani Foundation, Federation of Indian Physicians’ Associations (FIPA) etc to name a few.
Talks by distinguished invitees delved on topics such as Impact investing for Rural Development, Global development programs at Stanford University, Role of the Gates Foundation in Rural Development, Vision for Rural Transformation among others. The plenary sessions included extensive discussions on various thematic areas that included Healthcare & Nutrition, Water & Sanitation, Agriculture & Farming, Education and Livelihood, Energy & Environment, Livelihood & Sustainability. Plenary talk on the Water & Sanitation track was delivered by Hon. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Dr. Maneesha V Ramesh, Provost, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation and Development delivered a distinguished talk on “Multi-Modal Technology to Solve Rural India’s Water Crisis & Sanitation Deficits”. Dr. Maneesha’s talk emphasised on the efforts undertaken by Amrita in the areas of purified drinking water initiatives, water sustainability business models, community empowerment models, smart water management systems, novel technologies devised for filtration, irrigation, wastewater treatment, and sustainable sanitation initiatives among others. The talk also included an insight of the all-inclusive experiential learning program Live-in-Labs®.
Other eminent speakers in the Water & Sanitation track included Ms. Vini Mahajan, Secretary, Dept. of Water & Sanitation, Govt of India, Ms. Gauri Kumar, WHEELS Water Council, Ms. Roopa Mishra, Joint Secretary, Housing & Urban Affairs, Dr. Cecilia Tortajada, Institute of Water Policy, Singapore and Dr. Asit Biswas, University of Glasgow, UK.
The conference served as a platform where academicians, government agencies, industrialists, and NGOs shared their views, experiences, and contributions towards rural upliftment in various areas. The panel discussion yielded outcomes in the form of recommendations for policy changes, approaches of novel collaborations between industry and academia, improved funding opportunities, ways of stakeholder collaboration, technology enhancements for meeting rural requirements and related areas.
