Awantipora- 2-Day Virtual International Conference on ‘Sustainable Development and Technological Innovation’ commenced on Tuesday at Islamic University of Science and Technology.
The virtual conference is being organized by the Department of Management Studies IUST with themes revolving around ICT, tourism, health, leadership, capacity building, institutional change management, sustainable habitat, green technology and alternative economic paradigms.
During the inaugural session, Head Department of Management Studies Dr Asif Iqbal Fazili, welcomed all the dignitaries and participants to the conference, concisely summed its purpose and emphasized the long-standing tradition of the department in organizing workshops and conferences for the benefit of faculty and research scholars.
While addressing the conference Vice Chancellor IUST Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, highlighted the challenges faced by the nation with regard to sustainable development. He averred that India is at a crucial juncture in its economic history, which encompasses a trade-off between economic development and sustainability.
He listed the challenges for the country that seeks to become the third largest economy by 2030 while also pledging to attain carbon neutrality by 2070. He also outlined the specific technological challenges that humanity finds itself up against such as: scalability of scare resources such as electricity to deprived remote regions in the populous continent of Asia and Africa, the endeavor to make renewable energy sources cost-effective, the sustainable reduction of ecological risks and the achievement of the extensive SDG’s (Sustainable Development Goals) of the UN.
He highlighted the initiatives such as the Climate Action at the National level as well as the attempts made at Islamic University of Science and Technology (already in place or in process of completion) such as rainwater harvesting, use of solar panels, plastic free campus and digital paperless university communication. Prof. Romshoo also opined that these measures that seem incremental at a micro level have the potential to bring about transformation through cumulative impact.
Prof Shabir Bhat who was the Guest of Honour for the occasion underscored the economic and social repercussions for humanity if efforts were not mobilized in the direction of sustainable development.
He congratulated the department on having organized a conference on a topic of relevance and currency given the turbulence of the times and pointed out the salience of innovation as a driver of change. He urged institutions of higher learning to take an active stance as hubs of innovation and change under NEP-2019.
Prof Mohammad Amin-ul-Islam from the Faculty of Applied and Human Sciences, University of Malaysia Perlis during the keynote speech shared his erudite thoughts on the significance of technological innovation in the present era of Convergence given the rise of Industrial revolution 4.0. The rise of cyber physical systems, artificial intelligence, internet of things, blockchain, robotics has imparted volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) to the economic, societal and political facets of human existence. He prophesied that the survival of humanity is contingent upon its ability to innovate while keeping in mind the needs of posterity and ecology.
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