Bhubaneswar: For the promotion of the online education during this lockdown, Utkal Entrepreneurship and Career Hub (UECH) of Utkal University in collaboration with RUSA have started a series of webinars as a part of the University’s online teaching initiative starting last week. The second in the series, today’s webinar focused on “Sustainable technologies for livelihoods and health”. Prof. Saroj Nayak, Dean (Faculty & Planning), IIT Bhubaneswar joined as the chief speaker to enlighten the students on the topic.
Speaking on the current Corona crisis, Prof. Nayak said things are going to be different for a while. Close to 1.1 billion people around the world will lose jobs. 2 billion will see hunger up close if we don’t address the crisis right now. But along with challenges crisis also presents opportunities to change our ways. The way out of this crisis is to have a sustainable, decentralized and scalable approach.
Speaking on the topic Prof. Nayak said, “Technology doesn’t necessarily have to go against nature.” He cited the International Energy Agency’s finding that transforming energy systems will deliver 2.4 percent more GDP growth.
Prof. Nayak is also the co-founder of KARMA (Kalinga Renewable Energy Manufacturers). He started with solar powered UPS systems and moved on to smaller solar-powered version of pumps that was ideal for 90% of the farmers in Odisha. Their mission is to generate energy with minimal investment with reduced environmental impact. They are manufacturing Pump on wheels which can be shared by farmers and solar aerators to be used by fishermen who were using diesel powered aerators earlier.
Prof. Soumendra Mohan Pattnaik, Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University in his keynote address said Post-Covid era will pose many challenges to aspiring entrepreneurs. In the light of current situation he emphasised on the precondition for becoming an entrepreneur. “An entrepreneur must be prepared to fail. The power to embrace failure will eventually lead you to success.” He also made a point that entrepreneurs must have a goal to help the downtrodden while creating earning opportunities.
Prof. Sabita Acharya, Chairperson, PG Council, Utkal University during her opening remarks said, “Livelihood is going to be the biggest issue post Covid 19. Giving a push to the national economy is the need of the hour.” The occasion also marked the last working day of the professor. The Vice Chancellor acknowledged that under her leadership the PG Council has reached new heights and wished her well for the next chapter of her life.
Prof. A Khan, Director, UECH moderated the sessions. Prof. Prabodh Hota, Heads of many departments and close to 150 students of the university attended the webinar.
-OdishaAge
