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The 8th International Economics Conference was organized by SDMIMD on November 29-30, 2023 on the theme of “Economic Growth and Sustainable Development: Emerging Trends”.
This annual conference was inaugurated by Mr. Udaya Kumar Hebbar, Managing Director, CreditAccess Grameen Limited. “Microfinance is now no longer micro, but has become a new asset class”, said Mr. Udaya Kumar Hebbar, in his keynote address. “ He further said, “Microfinance has been contributing silently by gradually bridging income and livelihood disparity and creating a platform for better gender parity, particularly in rural India. Alongside, through their initiatives, Microfinance Institutions contribute substantially to achieving Sustainable Development Goals by addressing poverty, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, amongst others”. In his address, Mr.Hebbar also outlined opportunities and challenges before the microfinance sector in this changing environment. He believes that the new harmonized microfinance guidelines by the regulatory authority envisage protecting customer interest. By enabling microcredit to the last mile of society the sector contributes to the inclusive growth of the rural economy, said Udaya Kumar Hebbar.
Dr.B. Venkatraja, Chairperson of the Conference, SDMIMD introduced the theme of the conference and highlighted the background. He opined that maintaining a balance between economic growth aspirations and the need for environmental protection is a critical aspect of sustainability. Dr.Mohamed Minhaj, Chairperson of Academic Programs at SDMIMD gave an overview of how technologies and innovations drive the economy.
Sri. Pravin Iyer, Managing Director, Relicare Tech Services, Dr. Davood Askarany, Senior Lecturer, Business School, Accounting and Finance, The University of Auckland (NZ) and Dr Basavaraju R, Executive Director, GRAAM were the other distinguished speakers of the conference. Sri. Sriram Ranganathan, Vice President and Global Tax Head at Wipro Limited and Sri. Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council & Managing Director, Kennametal India Ltd delivered the valedictory address.
The two-day conference deliberated on 130 academic research papers presented by academicians and research scholars from different reputed institutions. Several emerging issues and trends relating to the economy, growth, and sustainability were deliberated.
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