Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Regional Workshop on Localized Sustainable Development Goals Held at IIT Palakkad
The Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad, serving as the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) Regional Coordinating Institute for the North Kerala Region, successfully organized a One-Day Workshop on Localized Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on February 24, 2024. During the occasion, it was announced that UBA Institutions under IIT Palakkad would collaborate with Digi Keralam - Total Digital Literacy Campaign of the. UBA chapters will collaborate with the Government of Kerala and take the lead in sensitizing this campaign across the region. Mr. S.M. Vijayanand IAS (Retd), Former Chief Secretary, Government of India, and Former Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India, inaugurated the function online.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Vijayanand emphasized the vital role of self-sustaining rural villages with the support of knowledge institutions. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan was underscored as a crucial step towards realizing this concept. He also appreciated the efforts of IIT Palakkad as a regional coordinating institute in facilitating transformative change in rural development in the nearby region. Mr. Vijayanand highlighted the concept of Academic Social Responsibility and its significance, particularly in states like Kerala.
The ceremony was presided over by Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Dean of Administration, IIT Palakkad. Other dignitories present include Dr. R. Ramesh from the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad, Ms. Sajina Sathar, Asst.Director, Local Self Government Dept, Government of Kerala, .Saji Sebastian, Executive Director of the Socio-Economic Unit Foundation, Dr. K. Rajesh, Senior Urban Fellow, KILA and Dr. Sahely Bhadra, UBA Institute Coordinator at IIT Palakkad, Anurenj P Kumar, Project Coordinator, UBA RCI, IIT Palakkad.
In the event, IIT Palakkad was honored with the Award for the Participating Institute with the highest number of activities. The workshop provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas and strategies for driving sustainable rural development, marking a significant step towards realizing the goals of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan initiative.
