KIIT School of Rural Management (KSRM) conducted National Rural Management Conclave 2021 on 16th January 2021. The objective of the Conclave was to bring the development and business practitioners as well as academicians and students to a common platform and discourse on various challenges and ways forward with special reference to “Rural Finance and Sustainability in Rural Livelihoods”.
Speaking at the Conclave, Shri T. Vijay Kumar, IAS (Retd.), Advisor to Govt. of Andhra Pradesh on Agriculture & Cooperation explained the different important dimensions of sustainable agriculture, especially organic farming. Emphasizing on zero budget natural farming, he flagged climate change aspects such as water scarcity, food scarcity, soil degradation and higher cost of agriculture through which agriculture gets victimized. The most important part of his presentation was his eight principles of natural farming. Shri Vijay Kumar also appreciated the spectacular and unique contribution of Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS to tribal development.
Emphasizing on the sustainability of ecosystems, Prof. Hrushikesha Mohanty, Vice Chancellor, KIIT-DU suggested working on appropriate models and its implementation to change rural world order. Prof. Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty, Registrar appreciated the initiatives of KSRM in organizing such deliberations.
There were two panel discussions in the Conclave – ‘Rural Finance in Post-COVID Scenario: Challenges and Prospects’ and ‘Sustainability in Rural Livelihoods: Prospects and Way Forward’.
Shri Rakesh Kumar, CEO & Executive Director, Light Microfinance Pvt. Ltd.; Shri Dibyajyoti Pattnaik, Director, Annapurna Microfinance Pvt. Ltd.; Shri Abhishek Anand, Associate Partner, MicroSave Consulting; Shri Naveen Kumar Mallik, COO, Samasta Microfinance Ltd.; Shri D. Narendranath, Executive Director, PRADAN; Shri Apoorva Oza, Chief Executive, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India); Shri C. S. Reddy, Founder & CEO, APMAS; Shri Raghuram Bhallamudi, COO-Consulting, BASIX Consulting & Technology Services; and Shri Sanjay Joshi, Executive Director, Foundation for Ecological Security participated in the panel discussions.