As a part of the webinar series on ‘Perspectives in Development’, KSRM organized a talk by Mr. Debaraj Behera, Consultant, World Bank for the students of MBA (RM) on 17th November 2020. In the interactive session, Mr. Behera asked the students about the meaning of the new normal. He discussed fashion trends because of the Covid-19, surge in sale of smart phones, laptops since lockdown and the market boom because of affordable data packages. He explained the multiplier effect on the economy of the country and how the pandemic has impacted different segments of the society.
Mr. Behera stated that rural areas could cope with the pandemic, despite poor health infrastructure, due to food systems in the rural areas and physical nature of work that people are engaged in. Working in the development sector is a good way to contribute something for the society, he said, adding that there is a lot of scope, opportunities and learning in the field. Students should develop reading habits and read something new everyday, he suggested. The webinar was moderated by Prof. Srilata from KSRM. Students also shared about the positive things that happened during COVID 19 like spending time on reading and enhancing knowledge base.
An expert in Agribusiness Partnership, Value Chain, Climate Smart Agriculture, Eco-Agriculture, Watershed Development, Food & Nutrition Security, and Sanitation, Mr. Behera has designed large scale Community-Driven Development (CDD) projects of the World Bank in South East Asia and East Asia Pacific. He also has fifteen years of implementation experience in the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India, Department of Rural Development, Govt. of Bihar, NGOs and the Private Sector. Mr. Behera has designed and implemented Innovation Forums in the format of “Development Market Place” of The World Bank and “Young Professionals Program”.