Jamshedpur : The �9th National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship� will be organised by XLRI- Xavier School of Management on January 27 to 29.
Around 150-170 social entrepreneurs, development sector professionals, policy makers, academics and management students are expected to assemble and confabulate on the theme – �Entrepreneurship for a Sustainable Planet� at the three-day conference to be held at XLRI campus.
Elaborating upon the theme, Prof. Madhukar Shukla, chairperson of XLRI�s Fr Arrupe Center for Ecology & Sustainability and the coordinator for the conference said, �Since mid-20th century, following the industrial and post-industrial revolution the size and scale of human enterprises have grown exponentially.
However, this growth has also subjected nature, and the manifold benefits it provides to humanity, to an increasing risk. Over the last few decades, we have witnessed increasing depletion of forests and natural resources, decline in animal population and extinction of species, increasing pollution of air and water resources, extreme weather conditions, etc.
The 21st century presents humanity with a dual challenge to maintain the balance of nature in all of its many forms and functions and to create an equitable home for people on a finite planet.
While the interdependence between the social, economic and environmental agendas is gradually being recognized at the highest levels (as defined in the Sustainable Development Goals), over the years, numerous entrepreneurial individuals have been experimenting and developing models of sustainable living. The learnings from such existing benchmarks and models is extremely relevant to inform development strategies, economic models, business models and lifestyle choices.�
�The two-fold purpose of the conference is to showcase innovative social entrepreneurial ventures by individual entrepreneurs, NGOs, corporates, and government agencies, and to provide a common platform for development sector professionals for sharing experiences, issues and knowledge,� Prof. Shukla further added.
The keynote speaker will be MV Ashok (chief general manager (Economic Analysis & Research), NABARDHO).
Among the eminent speakers at the conference are Anshu Gupta (founder � Goonj) and Harish Hande (founder & chairman, SELCO Solar India) both of whom are recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award, Joe Madiath (founder & chairman, Gram Vikas).
He is also the recipient of Kyoto World Water Grand Prize and UNESCO�s global award for his work on water and sanitation issues; Poonam Bir Kasturi (Founder & Director, Daily Dump) who is the recipient of �Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2016� given during World Economic Form.