Development of Tribal Areas in Dzongu, Sikkim” at the International Conference on Recent Advances in the Field of Management, Law, Education and Technology (ICRAMLET 22), which was hosted by the Aligarh Muslim University’s Murshidabad centre via online mode on the 2nd of June, 2022. The conference was being organised through thirteen technical sessions, all being beamed through Google Meet. Researchers, academicians and students from all across the country participated in the conference.

Dr Mandal had co-authored the paper which studied how female entrepreneurs had contributed to improvement in the socio-economic conditions and culture among the tribals residing in the northern district of Sikkim. The paper considered the economic, social and psychological barriers encountered by women in the pursuit of their chosen interest areas. It also suggested policy measures for creating greater awareness among the rural communities while also advocating more support from the government.

The presentation and the issues it highlighted were commended by those present. It was one of several papers examining diverse issues of national and regional importance during the fifth technical session of the conference. The session was competently hosted by Prof. Md. Fahimuddin from AMU, who also happened to be the Chief Coordinator of the conference. Prof. Md. Imdadul Haque, Associate Professor from the Department of Economics of the same institution was the Session Chair, and provided his well considered opinions on the different papers presented.

on “Contemporary issues in Business Innovation, Technology & Social Science (ICBITSS 2 -2022)” organized by School of Management, Gautam Buddha University scheduled on May 24, 2022. The invite was virtual on Google meet platform.

A total of 10 presentations were scheduled. It included faculty and research scholars from IIIT, Allahabad, Gargi college, Delhi University, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University and others.

One best paper was selected from each track for consideration in the best paper award.

The FDP was very informative and discussed about the knowledge of contemporary developments that are taking place in various dimensions of research to enhance the abilities of participants to carry out independent research, successful research projects and finally to enable them for technical communication national, international journals/conferences. The entire FDP was focused upon fundamentals aspects of relevant research topic selection, literature review, research proposals writing, Data Analysis & Interpretation and writing a quality research paper. The sessions were conducted by eminent experts as resource persons.

The participants also learned through hand-on practices to enable and write the content methodologically. It was full of learning to use the research tools and helps educators in research and enriches learning experiences.

The inaugural session was graced by Shri Narayan Tatu Rane, Honourable Union Minister for MSMEs, Govt. of India as the Chief Guest, with the Honourable Minister of State, Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, attending as the Guest of Honour. Among the foreign dignitaries present on the occasion were Dr Gholamhossein Hosseinina, Honourable Deputy Minister of Cooperative, Labour and Social Welfare, Iran and Dr Ali Chhegni, Ambassador of Iran.

Dr Sumit Shukla, Director General EDII, welcomed all to the summit and highlighted why MSMEs matter on a global scale for the economic development of peoples and regions. Sh. Narayan Rane stressed on the important role MSMEs are playing in the economic growth of India, while Sh. Bhanu Prasad Singh Verma spoke of the steps taken by the present government towards the development of this sector. Dr Hosseinina in his address pointed out to the similarities in the MSME story in India and Iran; Dr Chhegni referred to the historical linkages between the two civilisations in India and Iran, and how it was significant for the economic development of both nations. Dr Amit Dwivedi, Summit in Charge, laid down the plan for the interactions at the summit over the coming two days, before Smt. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME, Govt. of India offered the Vote of Thanks for the inaugural session.

The format of the summit consisted of an interesting mix of invited talks as well as panel discussions on wide ranging topics. The invited talks featured entrepreneurs – many of them from different parts of the globe – speaking about their individual experiences and how it helped them in their growing their respective businesses. Several of them offered their viewpoints on the experience of the MSME sector and how it could pan out going forward. Among the panel discussions, which included dignitaries, experienced practitioners as well as academics and researchers, the diverse issues covered included role of conducive policies and non-financial business development services in MSME competitiveness; MSME challenges and opportunities in the era of Covid 19 pandemic and the role of incubation/acceleration in MSME growth; how MSMEs can work in consortia to achieve sustainability; and people, planet and profit in the light of development of the MSME sector.

All the sessions were highly interactive and rich in content as the assembled audience joined in with their own myriad experiences and insights on the issues at hand. The summit was a very well managed exercise as all participants came away with a lot of food for thought for further deliberations.

The resource person for the entire faculty development programme was MS. Neha Maheshwari, The FDP course was of total 40 hours expanded over one week. The sessions were planned in morning and evening slots. The objective of the FDP was:

·         To develop skills to ask questions.

·         To Develop skills in listening actively and empathetically to others

·         To Learn what their non-verbal messages are convey others

·         To Enhance their ability to handle difficult situations

·         To Deal with situations assertively

·         To Identify common communication problems that may hold employees back

The resource person focused on developing assertive and persuasive communication and also highlighted the importance of such communication in the workplace. It also emphasized upon recognize different styles of communication and howto improve understanding and build rapport with others. The resource person also reflected on different methods of communication and how one can recognize and choose the best way/ method to go forward in communication. Importance of non- verbal communication was emphasized and effective message formulation was also explained in a very comprehensive manner.

The assessment of the workshop was based on daily post- session quizzes and assignments shared in Google classroom. Lastly, a case study-based project work was to be submitted for final evaluation. The workshop was very insightful and engaging.

The eminent speaker for the session were Prof (Dr.). Dhimant Panchal, Chair Professor, MIT Institute of Design; Prof. (D). Ravi Poovaiah, Industrial Design Centre- IIT Bomabay; Prof. Jatin Bhatt, Ex. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Ambedkar University, Delhi; Prof.K. B Jinan, Design Researcher And Educationalist; Mr. Yogesh Dandekar, Founder- Sarg Design Studio; Dr. Guruprasad Rao, Director & Mentor, Imaginarium India Pvt. Ltd; Dr. Keyur  Sorathia, Secretary- DPPC, IIT- Guwahati.

At the start of the session 1, Prof. Dhimat Panchal introduced the importance of Design thinking education. Further Prof. Ravi Poovaiah told us about the design education for the future. How it helps students adopt a better understanding of the people around them and learn to build stronger relationships.  By tackling old problems in new ways, students get the chance to do a double take on their own preconceptions. Moving ahead in the session Prof. JatinBhatt elaborated upon design education from Indian perspective. In that, design education is learning how to apply practical methods, prior knowledge and natural talent to solve new problems. it is also referred to as creative education. Then Prof. K.B Jinan enlightened about reinventing design pedagogy and contextual aesthetics.

Session 2 began with Mr. Yogesh Dandekar talking about the evolving paradigm of design education in India. And highlighted the need of new kind of designers, people who can work across disciplines. Then Dr. Guruprasad Rao told us about the design practice and design education, industry-academia partnerships. A new group of professionals combine the roles of professional, practitioners, and educators is the new demand in the market. Finally, Dr. Keyur Sorathia discussed about the significance of academic research in India. India has a well acclaimed brain power and promotion research will only help India move up the global intellectual ladder. At the end of session guest professors took questions from participants and engagingly answered participant queries. The symposium was full of new insights and learning. 

The purpose of the session was to acquaint participants on how to explore an idea and convert it into successful implementation. The session was attended by students of undergraduate final year of B.Com and B.B.A. The session was very interactive with orientation on new thoughts and tips for making a successful journey for Entrepreneurs. The basic issue of the session of idea generation was how to tackle business plan, financial model and breakeven analysis. Different points were discussed with latest examples of existing products and services of startups and young innovators in different sectors of entrepreneurship. Vibrant students and faculty members raised intelligent queries during the session and also after the session.

The resource person for the FDP were Dr. Anshu Tyagi, Associate Professor, Rukmini Devi Institute of Advanced Studies and Prof. Abha Gupta, Assistant Professor, Rukmini Devi Institute of Advanced Studies. Dr. Anshu Tyagi explained about Zotero which is an open- source software which allows easy and quick collection, organization and sharing of research. It is very convenient to use the software as it is open source and available for free to use. Zotero software assists in organizing and managing bibliographical data and research related material. Hands-on practice session was also facilitated by the resource person for the software.

Prof. Abha Gupta enlightened about Mendeley software which is also an open-source referencing software freely available for use of researchers, scholars, students and teachers. You can efficiently add papers for your work in the software. It is available to use by signing in your account on the website, as well as through as desktop application. Bothe the spaces are synced for easy and comfortable access. Mendeley has a provision to attach as a toolbar option with MS- word document as Mendeley cite-O-matic is extremely useful for generating bibliographies, references and citation in different kinds of styles such as Harvard, Chicago and APA. Hands-on practice session was also facilitated by the resource person for the software.

The workshop was very insightful.