MDI announces Centre for Sustainable Development

The Director of MDI made his plans for the centre public at a roundtable held at the institutes campusManagement Development Institute (MDI) on May 29, 2009 organised a roundtable on sustainable development at the MDI Campus in Gurgaon. At the event, the Director of MDI Professor B.S. Sahay announced the setting up of Centre for Sustainable Development and said, MDIwould now propel teaching, training and research & consulting in the area to serve the cause. He also said that the institute looks forward to collaborating with each stakeholder to forge the cause.

The event witnessed the presence of more than sixty eminent luminaries from several NGOs, leaders of CSR initiatives in Corporate, government representatives supporting social initiatives and academicians from the domain.
Professor Ashok Kapoor, Dean Continuing Education and Consultancy, in his welcome address noted that the contribution of India to the world was zero and infinity. Kapoor said, The need of the sector is to have people who are ready to operate from nothingness and in the process achieve infinite goals.

Mathew Cherian, CEO Helpage India, called for transparency and accountability in the non-profit sector and urged everyone to be the change they want to see. While praising the efforts of the MDI to take the issue of sustainable development into the corridors of MBA institutes, the luminaries said that by doing so the MDI is helping sensitise the new generation of MBAs to the needs of the people and planet.

The gathering recommended that all MBA institutes must contribute through capacity building and documenting best practices and case studies. They also urged the MBA institute to take up research and contribute to policy matters.The whos whos at the roundtable included the likes of Rashmi Singh who leads the Mission Convergence initiative of the Government of Delhi, Puran Pandey, Head Times Foundation, Sanjay Ganju Head Bhaskar Foundation, Clement Chauvet from UNICEF, Jay Sehgal Founder head IRRAD, George Abrahm Head Eyeway Organisation, Millickaruna Executive Director Fair Trade Forum India, Praveen Arya CEO Aptech Foundation, Sohini Bhattacharya Ashoka Foundation, Partho Programme Director National Foundation of India, Sudha Suri Hunger Project to name a few from the social sector.

Lakshmi Bhatia heading the CSR initiative at GAP, Niranjan Khatri GM Welcome Environment Initiative, Suryamani VP Access Bank, Brig. Rajeev Head CSR Jindal Steel, Lt Gen Rajinder CEO DLF Foundation, Annapurna from TERI and the likes represented the views of the corporate sector. Well known academicians in the area Professor Jallaludin NCERT, Professor M.M. Pant former VC IGNOU, Navneet Anand former academician and now the secretary of the PR Council and many eminent Professors from MDI shared their views, too, on the occasion.