Collaborative work and knowledge sharing key for creating forward-looking policy roadmap
Ranchi, 02 August, 2022: Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) organised a roundtable conference with the key objective to promote deep-dive research on diverse themes of just transition to create broader frameworks and priorities for laying out the future directions and roadmaps in Jharkhand. The conference witnessed participation of leading academicians from Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi University, Xavier Institute of Social Service, and Amity University who are indulging in undertaking multidisciplinary research to better inform policy discussion in creation of a future-ready economy in the state.
Addressing the conference and the chief guest, Mr AK Rastogi (IFS), former Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and ex Chairman, Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board said, said that, “Jharkhand is actively moving toward a sustainable and just transition path through climate resilience measures and Net-zero related planning. Academic communities have a larger role to play since knowledge dissemination is key to wider public deliberation and creation of roadmaps for a forward-looking economy in the state.”
Elaborating on the broader intent of the conference, Mr Ramapati Kumar, CEO of CEED said, “We need to focus on solution seeking and vision centric research that can lay the foundation of sizable changes in the next 5-10 years. The focus of research should be locally contextualised, relevant, time-bound, and goal oriented so that it can be the basis for policy directions in the state.” “As a part of this process, CEED has begun a ‘Just Transition Resource Centre’ that is engaged in research, enabling policy, knowledge sharing, and capacitation of stakeholders at the sub-national level”, Mr Kumar further added.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Ramesh Sharan, former Vice Chancellor, Vinoba Bhave University and Director, Institute for Human Development (Eastern Centre) told, “As an overarching idea, just transition has enormous appeal to a variety of academics, social scientists, sociologists, environmentalists, and energy researchers, etc. This process can facilitate a new way of thinking and approach to move towards a forward- looking economy with putting sustainability and a net-zero future at the center-stage.”
The conference witnessed participation of Prof Himadri Sinha (XISS), Prof Bijay Singh, Dr Nitish Priyadarshi and Dr Nivedita (Ranchi University), Prof AC Pandey, Dr Vikas Ranjan Parida and Dr Bhaskar Singh (Central University of Jharkhand), and Dr Shweta Sinha (Amity University), etc. The conference concluded that this process can lead towards knowledge creation and enabling frameworks through research on key issues such as, resource depletion and ensuing challenges, diversification of economy, ecosystem restoration, mitigation of the environmental impacts through scientific solutions, mapping of new jobs and livelihood, renewable energy and clean development mechanism, role of science and innovations in achieving net-zero ambitions, etc.