David O’Connor was a keynote speaker.
AB Wire
Development all over the world is picking up pace and showing great results, but sustaining it is the key, said keynote speaker David O’Connor, Chief of the Policy and Analysis Branch of the Division for Sustainable Development at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, speaking at Dr. Kalam’s Memorial Sustainable Development Conference at Rutgers University, in New Jersey.
On the occasion of the 84th birth anniversary of former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Lead India 2020 USA organized Dr. Kalam’s Memorial Sustainable Development Conference on October 17.
Hari Eppanapally, Chairman of the Board of Lead India 2020 Foundation (USA) said that this conference was able to bring together NGOs, practitioners, researchers and educators from around the world who are engaged in empowering and transforming youth into responsible citizens, according to a press release.
“Dr. Kalam’s dream was to engage the youth in developing the nation with a focus on sustainable development through ‘spiritual families’, ‘Affordable Quality Healthcare’ and ‘Affordable Quality Education’”, Eppanapally said in his address.
O’Connor stressed the need for sustaining the development by promoting cross-cultural and cross-country relationships to reduce tensions and conflicts, finding out ways that can work for the countries, where the development is currently happening instead of importing systems and processes that were used in the developed countries, environmental friendly solutions, alternative energy sources, education that is directly useful to improve the quality of people’s life such as good driving habits.
Another keynote speaker, Dr. S. (Mani) Yegnasubramanian, Chairman of SVBF & HATCC, emphasized the importance of spirituality, how it is connected with individual development that leads to national development.
Swamy Goud, Telangana Legislative Council Chairman, was a Guest of Honor at the meet.
Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Consul General of India in New York, in his keynote speech, said the Modi’s government is committed to do whatever it takes to improve the quality of the ordinary person, and see India as a developed nation on the global map.
Students of FIRST Robotics under the leadership of Dr. Kathryn Rogers exhibited a robot developed by them that can collect and move trash cans. Dr. Kathryn currently serves as the faculty advisor and mentor for multiple FIRST Robotics teams in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District.
The teams are comprised of nearly 200 students each year ranging from grades K-12. The senior team is a current World Championship semi-finalist.
Several speakers from spiritual families doing non-profit work, also spoke at the meet.
Prof. MG Prasad (Steven’s Institute of Technology), Vikas Chawla ( Art of Living), Aziz Nathoo (Aga Khan Foundation) and Shyam Baronia (BAPS), provided insight on how spirituality is connected with development.
The speakers from Affordable Quality Healthcare: Dr. Meena Murthy (St. Peter’s University Hospital), Francis Somerwell (Ekam Foundation – India), Dr. Horacio Rilo (Northshore LIJ Healthcare System), Dr. Pravin J. Mishra (Intermountain Healthcare System) gave their insight, facts and statistics on how the healthcare can be made affordable to developing and under developed countries and become sustainable.
The speakers from Affordable Quality Education, Commissioner Upendra Chivukula, Dr. Kishore Kuncham (Nasua County – Freeport Public Schools), Prof. William Graham (Rotary International) , Prof. Rajasekhar Vangapaty (Fashion Institute of Technology) gave a detailed report on how education can be made affordable to all in the world.
The team predicted that the present education system will undergo massive transformation and new avenues will arise in the education field that will provide quality and affordable education.