PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Oct 16: XLRI Jamshedpur will host the 12th annual Dr Verghese Kurien Memorial Sustainable Development Oration on Saturday, October 18, at the Tata Auditorium in Jamshedpur.
Organised by the Fr Arrupe Centre for Ecology & Sustainability (FACES), the event will feature a keynote address by Dr Vinod B. Mathur, former chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority of India and former director of the Wildlife Institute of India.
He will speak on the theme “Ecological Security for a Viksit Bharat”, exploring the critical link between biodiversity, ecological balance, and sustainable national development.
A distinguished member of the Indian Forest Service (1983 batch), Mathur has over three decades of experience in wildlife conservation and biodiversity governance.
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He has served as Dean and Director of the Wildlife Institute of India and later as Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority, leading several key policy initiatives.
A doctoral scholar from the University of Oxford, Mathur has also held international leadership roles, including Regional Vice-Chair of the IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas (South Asia) and Regional Vice-Chair (Asia-Pacific) of the UN Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (UN-IPBES). He has been part of both the UN IPBES Bureau (2019–2023) and the UN-CBD Bureau (2019–2022).
Currently, he serves as an International Biodiversity Expert with the Asian Development Bank and Affiliate Faculty Member at Colorado State University, USA.
The evening will begin with a prayer song by the XLRI Choir, followed by the lighting of the lamp and an introduction to FACES by Fr Donald D’Silva.
The FACES annual report will be presented by Dr Tata L. Raghu Ram, followed by a welcome address by Fr S. George.
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.After Dr Mathur’s oration, an interactive Q&A session with students will be held, and the event will conclude with a vote of thanks by Sanjay Patro.
Instituted in memory of Dr Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution, this annual oration series by XLRI celebrates his enduring legacy and fosters dialogue on sustainability, social justice, and ethical development.
