Sustainable Development Goals – The KGP Chronicle

IIT Kharagpur and University of Leeds Sign MoU for Joint Supervision of PhD Programs

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur signed of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Leeds (UoL) in recognition of the growing importance of India and a long-term partnership with University of Leeds. This collaboration aims to enhance academic and research cooperation through the joint supervision of PhD programs in the fields of Civil Engineering, Transport Studies, and Biological Sciences.

A team from IIT Kharagpur was invited to join the University of Leeds’ 25-Year Celebrations in Delhi on the 28th of June 2024. This special occasion also featured the signing of the Joint External Supervision Agreement, commemorating the longstanding relationship between University of Leeds and IIT Kharagpur. The signing comes at an opportune moment for IITKGP, hot on the heels of a 13-member team visit of faculty members from IIT Kharagpur to University of Leeds during June 4-6, 2024.

Prof. Rabibrata Mukherjee, Dean, International Relations, IIT Kharagpur, opined that “IIT KGP is excited to team up with University of Leeds to explore the diversity of academic partnership. Under the aegis of the MoU, several activities have been carried out including joint research projects, exchange of students and faculty members, joint guidance of student thesis, etc. To further strengthen the collaboration, the two Institutes now have the External Joint Supervision Agreement, which will immensely benefit doctoral students, wherein they will receive mentorship and guidance from faculty members of both the Institutes. The initial themes of collaboration that have been identified are Clean Energy for All, Sustainable Transport, Resilient Infrastructure, Healthcare and Well-Being, Chemicals and Waster, and Water and Sanitation which also address some of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.”

University of Leeds

Prof. Manuel Barcia, Dean of Global Engagement at the University of Leeds, commented on the partnership, saying, “We are thrilled to embark on this collaborative journey with IIT Kharagpur. This MoU not only strengthens our international ties but also underscores our commitment to fostering global academic excellence. By integrating our research capabilities and academic expertise, we are paving the way for innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. This partnership will undoubtedly enhance the educational experience for our students and contribute to groundbreaking advancements starting with the fields of Civil Engineering, Transport Studies, and Biological Sciences. We are optimistic that as this partnership strengthens further, we will broaden our collaboration to other subject areas to benefit more students, researchers and the world at large.”

In an endeavour to continue the path of sustained collaboration with University of Leeds, IIT KGP has already started discussions on the ‘Jointly Funded Bilateral Mobility Agreement’ and it is also expected that IIT KGP will be a part of the ‘Joint Virtual Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Development’ which is being envisioned by the University of Leeds.

IIT Kharagpur

In addition to the above, IIT KGP is also looking into the possibility of participating in the ‘Leeds International Partners Conference’ which is slotted to take place in December 2024 and will be the first of its kind for Leeds. It is expected that this would give IIT KGP an opportunity to make its existing collaboration with the University of Leeds more robust and effectively use the platform to engage with its partners and share knowledge on topics of mutual interest.

This collaboration between the University of Leeds and IIT Kharagpur is poised to have a transformative impact on the future of higher education and research in both countries. By combining the strengths of two leading institutions, this partnership will foster an environment of innovation, creativity, and intellectual exchange. Students and researchers will benefit from diverse perspectives and cutting-edge resources, paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries and advancements.

Also, by working together to tackle global issues, this MoU will serve as an example of international cooperation. Biological sciences, transport studies, and civil engineering are among the fields where the merger of knowledge and experience from both institutions would not only improve research and education quality but also help solve important problems. Through this relationship, other universities will be inspired to explore comparable projects to strengthen international academic and research networks and set the standard for future collaborations.

The new partnership is in line with both institutes’ strategic objectives to promote multidisciplinary research and broaden their global networks. The University of Leeds and IIT Kharagpur are sure that their partnership will result in ground-breaking findings and have a long-lasting effect on society.

Media Coverage:

Times Now	Indian Express	Statesman
New Indian Express	Anandabazar	Free Press Journal
Careers 360	Devdiscourse	GNE Bangla
Kolkata Hindi News	Humming Birds	Coalfield Mirror
KGP News	Edex Live

Coalfield Mirror

By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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Intellectual Property is the Possession of a Curious Mind – Celebrating the World Intellectual Property Day 2024 at IIT Kharagpur

On the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Day, the Intellectual Property (IP) Cell of the Office of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC), IIT Kharagpur organized a programme on Intellectual Property in Ben Gupta Auditorium of the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSOIPL) on 26^th April, 2024. The programme accentuates the importance of IP in modern science and transformational technological pursuits and was inaugurated by Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, in attendance by a large number of students, research scholars faculty and staff members.

The theme of The World IP Day 2024 was to align the inventions towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IIT Kharagpur has already taken a leap towards aligning with SDGs and has published the Sustainability Policy of the Institute in the Website. The Institute has also taken initiatives towards directing the innovations towards attainment of the SDGs for shaping our future together with the Intellectual Property.

In the opening address, Prof. Santanu Dhara, Associate Dean R&D and Professor In-Charge of Intellectual Property Rights (PIC-IPR), talked about the genesis and history of the IPR and introduced its basic aspects. He also touched upon the various IPR and patent filing activities of IIT Kharagpur and urged the faculty, students and scholars to secure their IPR by filing patents.

Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean R&D, IIT Kharagpur

Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean R&D, presented the record of annual patent filing at IIT Kharagpur which showed a positive trend over the last few years. Prof. Banerjee also compared the details of patents filed and granted from IIT Kharagpur with those from the other top academic institutions in India and the world. Overall, Prof. Banerjee emphasized on the importance of filing patents for institutional and national development and called the IIT Kharagpur community to come forward and make the endeavour of ‘100 patents in 100 hours’ successful. Prof. Banerjee also shared some of the administrative and academic measures the institute is going to implement for promoting the IP drive.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur

In the Chairman’s speech, Prof. V K Tewari delivered a fascinating and encouraging lecture covering the journey of patent filing at IIT Kharagpur. It is wonderful to hear that back in 1982 Prof. Tewari visited the patent office in Kolkata every day for around two weeks to learn the rules and regulations of patent filing following the advice of his M.Tech supervisor, which resulted in the filing of the first patent from this institute. Prof. Tewari continued his drive and owned as many as twenty patents throughout his academic journey. Prof. Tewari particularly focused on the importance of securing IP and translating that to successful start-ups to foster the country’s economy and generate employment.

There were two successive lectures first by Prof. Padmavati Machikanti from RGSOIPL on the overview of different forms of IP and subsequently by Prof. Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay, Professor of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, on the patenting aspects in Indian context. Prof. Banerjee also touched upon how technological research can benefit the rural economy through IPR.

Mr. Sumit Chatterjee, Legal Associate, SRIC, briefly mentioned the IP-related activities of SRIC

In the end, Prof. Banerjee and Prof. Dhara thanked the tremendous support extended by the IIT Kharagpur faculty members in performing a timely review of the proposals submitted for patent filing. The programme ended with a long Q&A session where Prof. Goutam Saha, former PIC of IPR, and Prof. Soumitra Paul, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, shared some of their opinion and suggestions to make the patent drive at IIT Kharagpur a more effective one. [Read : IIT Kharagpur calls for 100 Patents in 100 days]

Finally, in the vote of thanks Prof. Niharika Sahoo Bhattacharya acknowledged the Director, Dean R&D, Associate Dean R&D, the speakers and attendees for making the event successful. Special thanks was imparted to the Deans and all the faculty and staff members of the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law for extending all support in organizing the event at their venue.

About WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to promote and protect Intellectual Property (IP) across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organizations. It began operations on 26 April 1970 when the convention entered into force. The current Director General is Singaporean Daren Tang, former head of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, who began his term on 1st October 2020.

WIPO’s activities include hosting forums to discuss and shape international IP rules and policies, providing global services that register and protect IP in different countries, resolving transboundary IP disputes, helping connect IP systems through uniform standards and infrastructure, and serving as a general reference database on all IP matters; this includes providing reports and statistics on the state of IP protection or innovation both globally and in specific countries. WIPO also works with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and individuals to utilize IP for socio-economic development.

WIPO administers 26 international treaties that concern a wide variety of intellectual property issues, ranging from the protection of audiovisual works to establishing international patent classification. It is governed by the General Assembly and the Coordination Committee, which together set policy and serve as the main decision making bodies. The General Assembly also elects WIPO’s chief administrator, the Director General, currently Daren Tang of Singapore, who took office on 1st October 2020. WIPO is administered by a Secretariat that helps carry out its day-to-day activities.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO has external offices around the world, including in Algiers (Algeria); Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Beijing (China), Tokyo (Japan); Abuja (Nigeria); Moscow (Russia); and Singapore (Singapore). Unlike most UN organizations, WIPO does not rely heavily on assessed or voluntary contributions from member states; 95 percent of its budget comes from fees related to its global services.

WIPO currently has 193 member states, including 190 UN member states and the Cook Islands, Holy See and Niue; Palestine has permanent observer status. The only non-members, among the countries recognized by the UN are the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and South Sudan.

WIPO was formally created by the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, which entered into force on 26 April 1970. That date is commemorated annually as World Intellectual Property Day, which raises awareness of the importance of IP. Under Article 3 of this convention, WIPO seeks to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world. WIPO became a specialized agency of the UN in 1974. The Agreement between the United Nations and the World Intellectual Property Organization notes in Article 1 that WIPO is responsible:

“For promoting creative intellectual activity and for facilitating the transfer of technology related to industrial property to the developing countries in order to accelerate economic, social and cultural development, subject to the competence and responsibilities of the United Nations and its organs, particularly the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, as well as of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and of other agencies within the United Nations system.”

WIPO Development Agenda

In October 2004, WIPO agreed to adopt a proposal offered by Argentina and Brazil, the Proposal for the Establishment of a Development Agenda for WIPO —from the Geneva Declaration on the Future of the World Intellectual Property Organization. This proposal was well supported by developing countries. The agreed “WIPO Development Agenda” was the culmination of a long process of transformation for the organization from one that had historically been primarily aimed at protecting the interests of rightholders, to one that has increasingly incorporated the interests of other stakeholders in the international intellectual property system as well as integrating into the broader corpus of international law on human rights, environment and economic cooperation. In 2009, WIPO started drafting future treaties on intellectual property and genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore in relation with indigenous peoples and local communities.

In December 2011, WIPO published its first World Intellectual Property Report on the Changing Face of Innovation, the first such report of the new Office of the Chief Economist. WIPO is also a co-publisher of the Global Innovation Index.

Recent Events

WIPO, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO launched on 11 April 2022 their new Trilateral COVID-19 Technical Assistance Platform. This new tool aims to help members and WTO accession candidates address their capacity building needs to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Platform provides members and accession candidates with a single contact form which they can use to reach out to the trilateral organizations.

World Intellectual Property Day

World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26 April. The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life and to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of economies and societies across the globe.World Intellectual Property Day is WIPO’s largest Intellectual Property (IP) public outreach campaign, instituted with the aim of establishing a set up framework for broader mobilization and awareness, to open up access to the promotional aspect of innovation and to recognize the achievements of promoters of intellectual property throughout the world.

Inputs by:Prof. Debalay Chakrabarti, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Kharagpur
Email: debalay@metal.iitkgp.ac.in

Edited By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated infrastructural development projects worth Rs. 230 crores to IIT Kharagpur virtually

Under the able leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, IIT Kharagpur witnessed the testimony towards the road that leads to a Vikshit Bharat @2047, the vision of a Sashakt Bharat. Today Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the Nation the Infrastructure Development Projects worth about Rs. 230 crores at IIT Kharagpur in the august presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office; Shri Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir along with other ministers and members of parliament through video conferencing. Dr. Subhas Sarkar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Education graced the event physically on 20th February, 2024 in the Netaji Auditorium of the institute in the presence of Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director, IIT Kharagpur and Captain Amit Jain (Retd.), Registrar, IIT Kharagpur along with other senior professors, staffs and students of the institute.

In a significant step towards upgrading and developing education and skilling infrastructure across the country, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and lay the foundation stone of several projects worth about Rs 32000 crores. The projects include permanent campuses for different IITs, Indian Institute of Skills (IIS), and campuses of Central and Higher Education Universities.

Gracing the above occasion at IIT Kharagpur, Dr. Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education, Government of India stated, “Our Prime Minister is very keen on Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat Abhiyaan. Today, our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji will be inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of multiple development projects with over Rs. 32,000 crores across the country. India has undergone a major transformation in the past year in every sector under the able guidance of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji. It is fitting to acknowledge the achievements made under his visionary leadership specially in an institution specially known for its contribution towards education and innovation. Over the past 10 years, our nation has undergone a remarkable transformation marked by steadfast commitment to inclusive, progressive and sustainable development. The successful landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the south pole of the moon stands as a testament to our technological power, poise and ambition to explore new frontiers.

The Infrastructure development projects at IIT Kharagpur comprises two Girls’ Hostel named Savitri Bai Phule Halls of Residence (with 500 capacity each); one Boys Hostel named Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hall of Residence (500 capacity) and one Annexe building of the Chemical Engineering Department at IIT Kharagpur.

“I would like to mention that IIT Kharagpur has produced one of the best scientific minds of India who has significantly contributed to the Indian Space Centre, Dr. K Radhakrishnan, Former Chairman of ISRO under whose leadership the historic Mangalyaan Mission was successfully carried out. Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of a nation’s cloth and development. It empowers individuals with knowledge, skills and critical thinking abilities essential for innovation, productivity and also socio-economic progress. A well educated populist not only drives economic prosperity but also fosters social cohesion, democracy and a global competitiveness making investment in education a corner stone of sustainable development for any country. The Indian education landscape has undergone a major transformation in the past ticket. National Education Policy 2020 was introduced to revise and revamp all aspects of the education structure including its regulation and governance with a new system aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st century education including Sustainable Development Goal-4 (SDG 4) while building on India’s tradition and value systems. The number of university level institutions has increased to 1168 in 2021-22 from 760 universities in 2014-15. With a total of 408 institutions added in the last 10 years, additionally 41 new higher education institutions have been established which includes 7 new central universities, 7 new IITs and 8 new IIMs.”

The Savitri Bai Phulle Halls of Residence for Girls (GH-1 & GH-2) is a Single-seater, air-conditioned accommodation for 500 girls in each hostel. The building is designed as per 3-star TERI GRIHA or LEED-Gold star or IGBC- Gold star rating standards. Built at a cost of approx. 123 crores, the building complies with the guidelines of the Accessible India campaign and with a barrier-free building. It has Central air conditioning, Solar water heating system, Solar PV Generation system, Fire Fighting and alarm system, LAN, CCTV, IBMS, Lifts etc. A dual plumbing system is provided with treated STP water to be used for toilet flushing.

“Under the concept of Vikshit Bharat, the concept of Narishakti emerges as a foundational pillar which signifies our commitment towards empowering women and ensuring their integral role in shaping our nation’s future. Female enrollment in higher education has increased by 28% with girls and women constituting 43% of enrollment in STEM courses, one of the highest percentage globally, ” said MoS Dr. Sarkar.

The Hostel Building also includes the following facilities like Library and Reading room; Music Room and Interaction room; Reception and Visitors Lounge; Dining and kitchen; Shops, Gymnasium; Indoor Games, Cycle Track; Cycle Shed; Car Parking, Washing and drying facilities; Garbage chute for effective waste management.

“The role of the IITs in shaping India’s technological landscape cannot be overstated. Among them, IIT Kharagpur holds a special place with its graduates and alumni consistently making significant contributions to our nation’s progress. We are proud of the endeavours of all our IIT alumni who carry the brand of India with distinction where ever they go, one shining example being Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google who is an esteemed alumni of IIT Kharagpur. Their achievement underscore the enduring legacy of excellence that defines the IITs and their crucial role in building a brighter future of India,” remarked Dr. Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Halls of Residence for Boys (BH-1) is a Single seater, air-conditioned accommodation for 500 boys. The Building is designed as per 3-star TERI GRIHA or LEED-Gold star or IGBC-Gold star rating standards and complies with the guidelines of the Accessible India campaign with a provision for barrier-free building. Built at a cost of approx. 62 crores, it has Central air conditioning, Solar water heating system, Solar PV General system, Fire Fighting and alarm system, LAN, CCTV, IBMS, Lifts etc. A dual plumbing system is provided with treated STP water to be used in toilet flushing.

The Hostel Building also includes the following facilities like Hostel Building which includes Library and Reading room; Music Room and Interaction room; Reception and Visitors Lounge; Dining and kitchen; Shops; Gymnasium; Indoor Games; Cycle Track; Cycle Shed and Car Parking.

I would congratulate IIT Kharagpur in its new infrastructure and its remarkable strides it has made in nurturing some of the brightest minds in the country. I believe the student community at IIT Kharagpur will play a pivotal role in nation building and contributing to the realization of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Vision of a Vikshit Bharat 2047, added Dr. Sarkar

The Annex building of the Chemical Engineering Department, IIT Kharagpur is a G +3 building with centralized air conditioning system. Built at a cost of approx. 45 Crore, it has a plinth area of 7458 square meters that houses undergraduate, postgraduate, and research laboratories for Chemical Reaction Engineering, Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer, Mass Transfer, Mechanical Operations, Process Instrumentation and Control, Industrial Pollution Control, Multi-Phase Flow, mCFD, Crystallization, Energy Conversion and Storage, Catalysis, Particle Technology, Ultrafast Cooling, Rheology. It has a common advanced computing laboratory for 300 students at a time and has departmental research facilities with high-end sophisticated analytical instruments like Chemisorption, GC- MS, Mercury Analyzer, ICP-MS, TGA-MS, BET Surface Area Analyzer, conference & meeting rooms, faculty rooms, and classrooms.

Watch the address of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YflWJMbKjPM

Watch the address of Dr. Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education live:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LUNxLsdM5sKqgq_4veQ1aoTwOPbQqExf?usp=sharing

Media Coverage:

Times of India	News 18 Bangla	Akashvani Sangbad Kolkata
Telegraph	The Bengal Post	Dainik Jagran
Fast News	Data Quest	Amader Bharat

Times of India Telegraph

By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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IIT Kharagpur wins at the ADB Knowledge & Innovation Hub’s Transport Technology Innovation Challenge

Technology Innovation Challenge

Independent verification of the results
Publications of lessons learned by all the parties
Reference site and report for ADB and development member countries
Recommendations for next steps to scale-up the proposed solutions, including for future ADB-funded projects
Have a vision, plan and capability for future implementation/commercialization of the innovative technology solutions in DMCs

A user-friendly interactive system through the Technologies for Urban Transit to Enhance Mobility and Safe Accessibility (TUTEM) project that aims to enhance the last-mile security & safety of transit passengers in Hyderabad by providing commuters with safe access enroute to transit stations through mobile application platform was developed by Prof. Arkopal Goswami, Chairperson of Ranbir and Chitra Gupta School of Infrastructure Design and Management and Prof. Shreyas Bharule, Architecture and Regional Planning of IIT Kharagpur along with Prof. Avijit Maji of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (lead); Prasant Sahu of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus and LocationMind Inc., Tokyo. The project was announced the winner in the ADB Knowledge & Innovation Hub’s Transport Technology Innovation Challenge (TIC) supported and financed by the High-Level Technology (HLT) Fund ADB’s multi-donor trust fund promoting more widespread adoption of high-level technology in ADB projects.

Prof. Arkopal Goswami
Chairperson of Ranbir & Chitra Gupta School of Infrastructure Design & Management
IIt kahargpur

The venture will develop a user-friendly interactive system through the TUTEM: Technologies for Urban Transit to Enhance Mobility and Safe Accessibility (TUTEM) project. TUTEM aims to enhance the last-mile security & safety of transit passengers by providing commuters with safe access enroute to transit stations through mobile applications/features. It will develop security ratings for access routes to urban transit transfer points (UTTPs), safely pair users with secure para-transit operators, develop a speed-dialing system for distressed passengers, and finally demonstrate the system as a proof of concept (PoC).

Under TIC, technology providers are invited to submit a proposal to undertake a proof-of-concept/pilot of a high-level technology solution to address an identified development challenge where the selected proposals can receive a grant of up to US$500,000. The purpose of the TIC grant is to introduce new solutions in ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs) and thereby support ADB’s mandate in assisting DMC’s to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. Through TIC, DMCs will learn about new technology solutions to address various development challenges, and technology providers’ risks related to market entry may be reduced by showcasing their technologies.

Prof. Shreyas Bharule
Architecture and Regional Planning
IIT Kharagpur

The proposed technology or solution has to be new to the country or to the context with improved efficiency, impact, and/or life-cycle cost compared to existing solutions. However, the technology should have been tested and verified before in another country or context. The Transport Sector Technology Innovation Challenge (TIC) calls the technology providers to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to propose and conduct a pilot on high-level technology solution addressing one of the two development challenges – Improve Security for Public Transport Users and Promote Health & Hygiene for Public Transport Users.

The ADB Technology Innovation Challenge (TIC) calls for technology providers to submit proposals for innovative solutions to address a specific development challenge that ADB teams have identified. The winning proposal is awarded a grant to accelerate implementation of proposed technology solutions. TIC is being implemented under the knowledge and support technical assistance “Support for Innovation and Technology Partnerships in Asia and the Pacific – Subproject 3: High-Level Technology Application to Address Development Challenges,” which is financed on a grant basis by the High-Level Technology Fund and administered by ADB.

Description of the HLT solution and TIC project:

A mobile based application will be created and tested in Hyderabad.
The technology aims to enhance last-mile security and safety of transit passengers and give passengers an option to choose the safest mode/route of the transit through the mobile application platform.
A user-friendly interactive system will be developed where passenger can get real-time information about the city’s transit network and public and para transportation system’s operation.
The technology includes safety and security rating dashboard for urban transit transfer points and its adjoining area; pairing users among themselves and with pre-verified local paratransit systems for first and last mile routes; and speed dialing system for the distressed passenger.

Inputs by : Prof. Arkopal Goswami, Chairperson of Ranbir and Chitra Gupta School of Infrastructure Design and Management, IIT Kharagpur
Email: akgoswami@infra.iitkgp.ac.in

Edited By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us on: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp; Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
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International Workshop on Biodiversity & Climate Change

We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and we are the last generation that can do something about it. We only get one home, one planet, there is no plan B. The climate has changed, we have changed, our tolerance and habits have changed. Biodiversity is our most valuable asset but least appreciated resource. Despite our many advances, our environment is still threatened by a range of problems including global climate change, energy dependency on unsustainable fossil fuels and loss of biodiversity. Therefore, there is a need to create an awareness about maintaining ecology among the masses and address the graving concerns that pose a threat to the natural habit of human beings.

On the lines of creating awareness about biodiversity and climate change, the 3^rd International Workshop on Biodiversity and Climate Change (BDCC-2023) was organized by the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere, and Land Sciences (CORAL) at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur on the rising diminishment over ecological disruptions. The four-day programme including field trips to Sundarbans and Similipal Biosphere Reserve was attended by over 230 participants who arrived at the IIT Kharagpur campus on 15^th February. The Inaugural session was organized at Kalidas Auditorium on 17^th February 2023 in the august presence by eminent Professors and Scientists comprising of Dr. M Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD; Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. V P Singh, Texas A&M University, USA; Dr. S Behera, Director of Application Laboratory, JAMSTEC, Japan; Prof. B Pani, Dean of Colleges, University of Delhi; Dr. T Meloth, Director, NCPOR, MoES; Prof. S K Dube, Former Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. K Kumar, Chairman CORAL and Prof. M D Behera, Organizing Secretary BDCC – 2023.

Prof. K Kumar, Chairman of BDCC-2023 welcomed the delegates on the dias, followed by lighting of the auspicious lamp by Dr. M Mohapatra and Prof V K Tewari in the presence of other dignitaries followed by a recitation of national anthem by a few students from Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Kharagpur. Dr. M D Behera, the Organizing Secretary provided an overview of the event with connection to the past two BDCC workshops and highlighted on the GOI Net Zero targets and nature-based climate solutions.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “If we look at the nature closely, every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has has survived. I feel honored and proud to witness the 3rd International Workshop on Biodiversity and Climate Change (BDCC-2023) organized by CORAL at IIT Kharagpur. Biodiversity forms the backbone of any Nation’s prosperity and development. India is bestowed with immense biological wealth in its different habitats and they provide various ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, food provision etc. However, with climate change crisis exacerbating biodiversity losses and shifts in ecosystems dynamics, it is the need of the hour to adopt multifaceted mitigation and adaptation measures for ecosystem restoration and sustainable development.”

Prof. S K Dube deliberated on the genesis of CORAL and its journey in the frontier era of climate change education and research. Prof. B Pani explained the compliance of the National Education Policy with climate studies, while Dr. T Meloth appraised on climate change footprints on the 3^rd pole. Dr. S Behera emphasized on the prediction of monsoon and its impact on the economy in terms of crop yield and diseases like malaria. Prof. V P Singh highlighted the importance of water resources and its conservation in the era of changing climate. A pheno-meteorological observation tower installed in Similipal Biosphere Reserve was e-inaugurated by Dr. M Mohapatra in presence of Prof. V K Tewari; Dr. B K Bhattacharya and Dr. C P Singh, Scientists from Space Application Centre (SAC-ISRO), Ahmedabad.

The workshop started with four tutorials including (i) Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) using Machine Learning (ML), (ii) Soft Techniques in Environmental Geochemistry and Sediment Analysis, (iii) Geomatics and Data Analytics using Open Source – Google Earth Engine (GEE), and (iv) A Hierarchy of Glacier Models on 16^th February with hands-on training by the Research Scholars of CORAL. Participants including students and young scientists from various international, national, and state institutes also attended the tutorials.

India is a very committed towards tackling the effects of climate change and has promoted and enacted various initiatives. India has tapped the potential of nature-based solutions to achieve net zero targets and uphold its commitment to the Paris Agreement. India’s commitment towards achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents through additional forest and tree cover, Mission LiFE, Honourable Prime Minister’s ‘Panchamrit’ or five-fold declarations project our stance for circular and sustainable economic development,” remarked Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur.

The workshop accommodated seven technical sessions such as Biodiversity and Land Cover Dynamics; Geomatics and Data Analytics; Forest and Agricultural Resource & Biotechnology; Extreme Weather Events and Natural Hazards; Global Cryosphere and The Himalayas; Biogeochemistry- Terrestrial and Marine; Nature-based Solution and Net-Zero Targets. The technical sessions were conducted in parallel in three halls with three keynote talks in each technical session by eminent scientists, who also co-chaired the sessions.

The first plenary session was chaired by Prof V P Singh, wherein Dr. M Mohapatra, Mr. D Ray, PCCF and CWLW, WB state and Dr. S Behera talked on ‘Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events’, ‘Climate threats to Sunderbans Mangroves’ and ‘Monsoon Climate and Food Security’ respectively. The plenary session-II was chaired by Prof B Pani, wherein Dr. E Sharma, Ex-DDG, ICIMOD and Dr. T Meloth and Dr. C Biradar, Country Director, CIFOR-ICRAF, Delhi talked on ‘Himalayan responses to changing climate’, ‘Climatic responses of polar regions’, and ‘Agroforestry interventions towards food security in the warming world’. The plenary session-III was chaired by Prof. S K Dube, wherein Dr. S Nayak, Former Secretary MOES, GOI); Dr. A Orr, British Antarctic Survey, UK; Dr. D H Bromwich, Ohio State University, USA and Dr. Kyle Clem, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, deliberated on a wide range of topics with respect to climate actions in different spheres.

“All these key policy decisions and initiatives clearly demonstrate that our efforts for climate change mitigation should begin at the grassroot level starting from an individual and become unified as a massive wave for the common goal of preserving our planet. Being blessed with lush green campus, our staff and students of IIT Kharagpur have a plethora of opportunities to create a better world. We are proud to have undertaken different projects to enhance and maintain IIT-KGP campus a green campus. With our vision being – Dedicated to the service of the Nation, we seek to impart value based knowledge in addition to academic curriculum to our students in order to transform them into future leaders of tomorrow. This International workshop is a critical step in that direction which combines both traditional as well as modern fields of science. I congratulate Dr. Mukunda Dev Behera and the entire team for organizing this great event. I strongly encourage the researchers and participants to take full advantage of this workshop,”

stated Prof. V K Tewari.

The keynote talks of each technical session were oriented towards sustainable development perspectives. The participants presented their works in terms of rapid-oral and standard-oral as per specific format and allotted time. A few awards were adjudged from each session by the session co-chairs and the awardees were given a certificate and momento in the Valedictory session on 18^th Feb 2023. Field trips to Sunderbans and Siilipal Biosphere Reserve on 19^th and 20^th February. Several deliberations in the event have led to better understanding of how can we better understand feedbacks between climate change and biodiversity, how do we maintain a balance between bioresource management and socio-economic development, how do cryospheric changes in polar regions and high mountains affect biodiversity, water cycle and global climate etc. Forecasting and preparing for natural hazards and extreme weather events, understanding the intricacies between terrestrial and marine bio-geochemical cycles, geomatics perspective on spatial biodiversity and ways to achieve the net-zero targets through nature-based solutions were among the other topics of discussion.

Healthy ecosystems constitute healthy planet. In this connection, ecosystem restoration is a win-win strategy that is crucial to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate targets of the Paris Agreement. The on-going climate change is unequivocally anthropogenic and together with other stressors like deforestation, land degradation, biological invasion, etc. has resulted in species losses and shifts in landscape dynamics. The carbon cycle and the water cycle, arguably the two most important large-scale processes for life on Earth, depend on biodiversity at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels and can yield feedbacks to climate change.

Inputs by: Prof. M D Behera, CORAL, IIT Kharagpur
Email: mdbehera@coral.iitkgp.ac.in

Edited by : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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Clean India, Healthy India

Hindustan Times ET Health World (Economic Times) India Today The Week UNI India Millenium Post Business Standard Republic World

Does economic growth have a positive correlation with clean drinking water in India? Researchers at IIT Kharagpur seem to be not only agreeing with this idea but even found concrete proofs. In a recent study published in the Scientific Reports, the link between the influence of economic growth in reducing fecal pathogens in groundwater has been established. These are the pathogens that are considered to be one of the key causes of water-bourne diseases, across India.

Water-bourne diseases like diarrhea have been the cause of 15.5% of total deaths in India from 1990 – 2016. The study has made first-time observations on a significant reduction of fecal pathogen concentration in the spatially variable groundwater from 2002 to 2017. The study, however, reported elevated fecal coliform concentration in potable groundwater in rural regions across India than UNGA’s safe limit of zero pathogens. Download Paper

“Looking beyond the country globally, more than one-third of the total country’s population, living in economically stressed areas of Africa and South Asia still do not have access to basic sanitation, and more than 1 billion still opt for open defecation. Until recently, India has more than 500 million open-defecating population resulting unsafe disposal of fecal waste to nearby drinking water sources poses a serious environmental crisis and public health concern,” says Prof. Abhijit Mukherjee, faculty at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering and Dept. of Geology and Geophysics at IIT Kharagpur who led the research project.

In recent years, sanitation development to achieve goal-6 of UNGA’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been encouraged across India by implementing Clean India (Swachh Bharat) Mission. But their effect on groundwater quality and human health are yet unquantified until now. The study, published on October 23 on the Nature group of journals, gives long term, high-spatial-resolution measurements of fecal coliform concentration (>1.7 million) and acute diarrheal cases for the first time. The study data covered almost the last three decades to delineate the long-term improvement trends of groundwater quality across India, as a consequence of development.

“A uniqueness in this study to determine economic development was instead of GDP or other economic growth data, we have used satellite-based nightlight (NL) information from NASA for the period 1992-2013 which was used to investigate the statistical trends and causal relationships. In most areas’ economic development, suggested by increasing satellite-based nightlight correlated to the reduction in faecal coliform concentration and alleviation of water quality. While, sanitation and economic development can improve human health, poor education level and improper human practices can potentially affect water-borne diseases loads and thus health in parts of India.” explained Srimanti Duttagupta, Ph.D. scholar at IIT Kharagpur, second author of the research paper which has come out recently based on this study.

Numerical and statistical analyses were performed on aforesaid culled datasets to understand the efficiency of development in alleviating the water quality and public health, and relationship with economic development. Enhanced alleviation of groundwater quality and human health have been observed since 2014 with the initiation of accelerated construction of sanitation infrastructure through Swachh Bharat Mission.

In the study it was observed that in more than 80% of the study region, night-time light demonstrated to be a strong predictor for observed changes in groundwater quality, sanitation development and water-borne disease cases.

However, the goal of completely fecal-pollution free, clean drinking water is yet to be achieved, Prof. Mukherjee remarked, however, needs more data to confirm.

“Nevertheless, in areas with inferior water quality, improper human practices outweigh economic development in affecting human health,” he added.

It has been further observed that very high population density deteriorates the quality of water in certain areas. The problem of overpopulation and slums is an intricate problem that is reflected in all life aspects in countries like India. Different statistical analyses conducted in this study showed about a 3.09 % decrease in fecal coliform concentration and a 2.69% decrease in acute diarrheal cases per year for the last three decades. Groundwater quality with respect to fecal coliform concentration and acute diarrheal cases generally reduced in most areas of India and has been mostly caused by sanitation development, urbanization and related land-use changes.

Since 2014 the government has built over 100 million toilets in six lakh villages and 6.3 million toilets in cities covering a total of 600 million people (almost 60% of India’s population) which is more than the total figure for toilets since 1947. Currently, 93% of village households have toilets with a usage rate of over 90%. On October 2, while celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that India was open-defecation free. But there are facts beyond statistics primarily challenging the initiative at the level of societal and poor human practices.

The researchers opined that use and disuse and beliefs are mostly related to lower literacy rates. In turn, these results in a lack of awareness and encourage malpractice on sanitation, eventually leading to increased fecal waste into drinking water sourced from groundwater.