Centre for sustainable development at Pune’s Gokhale Institute

The Centre will contribute to the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals through research and advocacy

A new centre for sustainable development was launched on New Year’s Day, 2023 at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. The newly established Centre will address all aspects of sustainable development from the standpoints of theory, practice, and policy. The Centre will contribute to the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals through research and advocacy.

A new centre for sustainable development was launched on New Year’s Day, 2023 at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (HT PHOTO)

According to the administration of the centre, the activities will include developing insights based on research and fieldwork, mainstreaming sustainable development ideas into the teaching curriculum and engaging in policy advocacy aligned with India’s sustainable and inclusive economic development goals. The centre will also place a strong emphasis on outreach activities in order to raise public awareness about sustainable development.

Ravi Pandit, founder of KPIT Technologies and Pramod Chaudhari, founder and chairperson of Praj Industries, have both lent their support to the centre. MOUs were signed during the event with two industry leaders to support the centre over the next five years.

“Sustainability is not just an imperative; it is the only way for humanity to progress, “the chief guest at the function, Dr Raghunath Mashelkar said.

“India can be a global leader in the transition to 100 per cent renewable energy while also providing innovative mass-scale solutions. Effective innovation necessitates both affordability and sustainability, as encapsulated in the slogan ‘more for less, for more,’ which means producing more with fewer resources to serve a much larger population. The Gokhale Institute will play an important intellectual role in this journey toward sustainability,” Dr Mashelkar added.

While Ajit Ranade, vice chancellor (VC) of Gokhale Institute said, “The launching of the centre is an important milestone in the Institute’s journey of excellence.”