IIIM Jaipur, in collaboration with the India Development Coalition of America, organized the 10th North India Regional Conference on “Innovative Practices to Mitigate Poverty and Climate Change in India” on 31 March 2021. In the inaugural session, Dr Manju Nair, Principal, IIIM, welcomed the Chief Guest, Waterman of India- Dr Rajendra Singh, Founder, Tarun Bharat Sangh and Dr Mohan Jain, Founder and Trustee, IDCA, USA, provided an impetus to the conference and participants suggested ways that can bring positive change in the society.

It was followed by the inaugural address by the Dr Singh, who has transformed the drought-prone landscapes of Rajasthan into flourishing eco-systems through indigenous water harvesting to revive the dried-up water bodies across the country. Dr Singh, the winner of Stockholm Water Award’ 2015; an award known as “the Nobel Prize for Water”, has also been honoured with Asia’s most prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award’ 2001 for Community Leadership along with India’s most prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj Award’ 2005.

He is also heading a national network of organizations working on water issues; Rashtriya Jal Biradari. This network is working for the restoration of all-mighty and small rivers of the country.
In his Inaugural Address, Dr Singh reflected on what drove him to work on water conservation, what true self-reliance for a village looks like, and how the pandemic is reversing some of the disastrous effects of development.
He also stated that people in cities need to understand that their taps come from the villages. If we take away this water, we deprive people in the villages of their means of livelihoods, and they will be forced to come to the cities. Urban dwellers need to be disciplined in their use of water, as well as practice water harvesting and conservation

The following technical session was on “Innovative Practices to Mitigate Poverty and Climate Change”. The session witnessed expert talks by eminent personalities such as Ms Jyoti Sharma, President, Force Group (Forum for Organized Resource Conservation and Enhancement), Ms Sonal Agrawal, Founder, Jaipur Chapter, Robinhood Army, Mr Ajay K Jha, Director, PAIRVI (Public Advocacy Initiatives for Rights and Values in India), Mr Rakesh Sharma, Founder, Chahat Foundation, Ms Nilanjana Das, Founder Director, ACT (Action Center for Transformation). The speakers shared their contributions to upliftment of the underprivileged section of the society and provided motivating inputs on resource use optimisation.
The concluding session had presentations by the students of IIIM through which they showcased their experience and real-life learning. Among the ten selected presentations, the top three were rewarded with cash prizes of Rs.7000/-, Rs.5000/- and Rs.3000/- respectively. The winners were Ms Riya Jain, Ms Arpita Khandelwal, Ms Mamta Khanchandani, Ms Bhawna Jangid and Ms Khushboo Chandwani for their project with ‘Naya Savera’ NGO.

Ms Nidhi Chopra, Mr Kshitij Mathur, Mr Mohit Jain, Ms Nishita Khunteta and Mr Hardik Jain stood second for their project with ‘ROBINHOOD ARMY’. And the third position was grabbed by Mr Ishan Gupta, Ms Kavita Pal, Ms Preksha Khandelwal, and Ms Shreya Khandelwal for their project ‘CHAHAT Initiatives’.

Dr Sandeep Vyas, Associate Professor. MBA Programme, IIIM, and Dr. Priyanka Mathur, Assistant Professor, IIIM were the competition judges. The conference culminated with a conference report by Dr Mohan Jain. He encouraged the students to contribute towards a socially responsible society on a daily basis.