The Youth-20 Consultation, held in KIIT-DU under the aegis of G20, ended on a grand note with powerful speeches from the dignitaries, on 15th April 2023. The valedictory ceremony was graced by Shri Rohit Pujari, Hon’ble Minister of Higher Education, Government of Odisha, Mr. Reuben Gauci, H.E. High Commissioner of Malta, Prof. Sasmita Samanta, Vice Chancellor, KIIT-DU, Prof. J. R. Mohanty, Registrar, and Prof. C. K. Panigrahi, Director, Quality Assurance. Delegates from 20 countries, including Members of Parliament, also graced the event, besides academicians, researchers, scientists, celebrity musicians and students from KIIT and others.
Shri Rohit Pujari expressed his awe and gratitude for the panel, the audience and every participant by acknowledging the hard work it took to make the event a success. It is time to think beyond self and consider the world in tackling issues such as ending world hunger and climate change, he said. The COVID pandemic showed that standing as one man does not suffice any more thus the significance of forums such as the G20, now accommodating the young people, Y20 Consultation forum for sustainability. He urged the youth to take care of their mental and physical health more than anything as it is with a healthy mind and body that you are able to transform your community and the World.
Mr. Reuben Gauci’s words were a heartfelt expression of gratitude for being given the opportunity to be part of such a value adding event, not only for the youths but also for all dignitaries. In his words, “It is very difficult to get MPs from different ideologies to agree on anything, but if there is one thing they agreed on, it was, Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS does everything out of love, without needing anything in return.”
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Sasmita Samanta thanked all who were present for the last two days for the grand event. “This event was evidence enough of the potential the youth of India harbour in the resilience and capacity for the future”, she said, adding, “The power of knowledge has universal acceptance as the keys to build a sustainable structure in any sector. The government of Odisha has exerted efforts towards showing that these keys create the kind of place that inspires and attracts the rest of the country and even the world.”
The Vice-Chancellor gave the definition of success as, “The ability to do something with the objective of making life better for others or the world.” She described how Odisha is building its indigenous knowledge on the global landscape. It hosted the Hockey World Cup in January 2023 and now, it has hosted yet another big event, the Y20 Consultation Intergovernmental Forum.
Prof. J. R. Mohanty shared his insights pertaining to the success of KIIT-DU to host the event which was dedicated to intellectual discussions aimed at sharing sentiments, ideas and research work to shape the future of the youth in the work-force. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all the dignitaries who participated in this event on the behalf of the KIIT-DU and Founder Dr Achyuta Samanta. The consultation, consisting of five themes and Plenary sessions, was hosted in five different campuses and had almost 10,000 participants, informed Prof. Mohanty.
The session ended with a vote of thanks delivered by Prof. C. K. Panigrahi.