Parivartan, the first business conclave organised by CONXERV, the sustainability management association of Xavier University, Bhubaneswar, took place on Sunday. The event aimed to address the need for a sustainability-based approach to business practices through designed thinking, thus bringing in a social revolution for a better world.

The first speaker of the event, Tapan Sahoo, senior vice-president (engineering, research, design and development), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, spoke about sustainability and innovation from the industry perspective. The second speaker of the day, Sandeep Mohanty, director (process innovation) at Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, began with pointing out the importance of chemistry in our lives and also about green chemistry, a branch of chemical engineering that reduces the use of hazardous products and processes. The third speaker of the day was Partho Deb, an energy consultant at GE Energy Management, who spoke about empowering people by involving them in the planning process and the development of solar energy. The seminar was followed by a question-and-answer session, in which students gained valuable insights from the speakers. 

Fish talk

The Union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, visited the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA) to inaugurate a workshop. He visited the agri-business incubation centre and held discussions with aquaculture entrepreneurs of Odisha. Pradhan  visited the farm facilities and witnessed the harvesting of jayanti rohu, which is a genetically improved fish with a much higher growth efficiency developed through selective breeding, and many other species such as catla, catfish, murrel fish and freshwater prawn. The minister  also interacted with scientists. P. Jayasankar, director of the institute, gave a presentation on the promising technology available with CIFA for better income for the fish farming communities. 

Tech society

The student activity centre of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, inducted new entrants into the renowned technical society of the institute on Friday. The student activity centre is the hub of all student activities, which are organised and managed by students and headed by faculty members. Besides, for the first time, inductions were held for the posts of managers, co-ordinators, and volunteers for the activity centre. The programme saw a healthy turnout of about 190 students. A second round of induction was held for those who missed the first. In total, about 220 people filled out forms and were interviewed. The co-ordinators reasserted that nobody apart from the ones selected by the interview process were entitled to be part of the technology team.

Welcome freshers!

The students of Sai International College of Commerce and Economics, Bhubaneswar,  hosted a welcome ceremony, Abhyarthana, which featured several fun-filled activities and cultural programmes. First-year students were briefed about the college and their course. Juniors cheered on seniors, who treated them to foot-tapping songs and dance performances. A band performance also made the crowd euphoric. Titles such as Master and Miss Fresher and Master And Miss Well-Dressed were given to the newcomers. The programme was presided over by the chairman of the college, Bijoy Kumar Sahoo, and principal Sandip Ghosh. 

Badminton tourney

A three-day intercollegiate badminton tourney for colleges under the aegis of North Odisha University was organised in Baripada. The matches were held in the indoor stadium and inaugurated jointly by the principal of Baripada College, Ranjan Mohanty, and Lingaraj Behera, vice-president of the athletics club of North Odisha University. Thirteen men's teams took part from Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts. In the women's category, 12 teams from various colleges took part. A number of sports personalities from across the state attended the event and interacted with the students.

Citizen’s values

The Women’s Degree College, Parlakhemundi, organised an active citizenship programme at B. Sitapur High School, located on the outskirts of the town. Jayanti Ratha, the convener of the programme, presided over the meeting. Rena Sahu, principal of the college, encouraged students to take up community development activities and also act as a positive force in the nation-building process. A documentary film was screened on the topic. A number of students from the local colleges attended the event. The programme, developed in an audio-visual format, was designed by the state government with support from the United Nations Population Fund to instil active citizenship values among the youth.

History congress

The history department of Panchayat College in Bargarh organised the Odisha History Regional Congress and a national seminar on “Tradition, Fairs and Festivals of Western Odisha.” The two-day programme was organised at the Biju Patnaik Rangamancha, located on the premises of the institution. The seminar was sponsored by the University Grants Commission (UGC). A large number of research scholars and academicians from several educational institutions across the state as well as outside presented papers during the seminar.