Known for his extremely amicable nature and grounded personality, Mr. Shekhawat is a philosopher by education and a farmer by profession. Thrust into politics at an early age, he was elected as president of Student union of JNVU University in 1992 under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad . For the better part of his life he had chosen nation building over a political career and held several positions like being the co-convener of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, the General Secretary of Seema Jan Kalyan Samiti, an organisation dedicated to strengthening of national security by developing border towns and villages. As the General Secretary, Mr. Shekhawat was instrumental in building a second line of defense that consisted of civilians residing near the border area of Rajasthan. He was also instrumental in furthering the impact of civil defense by setting up 40 schools and 4 hostels along the Indo-Pak border. Extremely approachable on Social Media, he is massively popular on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. Also has the distinction of being the most followed Indian Politician on Quora. His Quora profile has more than 70,000 followers and his answers on the social media platform has been viewed a record 6.8 Million times, more than that of former U.S.A President Barrack Obama. As an example worth emulation, he led an internship program that leveraged his cult following on Quora to create a nationwide youth led development initiative, something that impressed the Prime Minister because of its unique approach towards problem solving for public policy issues and challenges.
Overview
Reducing Water & Waste Stress by 2050
The water and climate coalition leaders in a call for action, stresses "We lead the way in rethinking how our societies and economies best resist climate change. Improving how we use water is a pathway to develop food security, protect health and livelihoods, promote the just transition to clean energy, build water and climate smart cities, protect the environment, build resilient economies, help the world achieve the SDGs, and meet global climate commitments."
Safe drinking water, sanitation, wastewater management are fundamental to health, survival, growth, and development. The 36th UN-Water Meeting as held on 8th of April 2022 discussed about the purpose of discussing the role of water and sanitation in addressing the roadmap on human rights to water, sanitation, and waste. This led to a lively discussion about climate change, water management, and sanitation.
United Nations Environment Assembly 5.2 held on 28th February 2022 focused on the Support to enhanced waste management through capacity-building, financial funding, and technology transfer. Including Transitional economies given all the resources to better manage their solid waste, resulting in less stress on the environment, business, economies, and the overall construction of our future. Presently, two billion people around the world are living in water-stressed areas, and the same will be true of more than half the world’s population by 2050 if no action is taken. Based on projected demand, the world will face a 40 per cent shortfall in freshwater supply within 10 years. Climate change is already greatly exacerbating the world water crisis – intensifying floods, prolonging droughts, and more. In many ways, the worst impacts of the climate crisis will be felt through water. Unless urgent action is taken, these impacts will only worsen in the coming years and decades.
Big Business Of Water And Waste Management
Water security isn't limited to access to drinking water. It's about sanitation - more people worldwide have mobile phones than toilets. According to the United Nations, by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in water scarcity, and the demand for irrigation will jump by 15%. Though it's not a silver bullet, technology can help to change this course, and it's already started.
Each year, 829 000 people die because of poor water, sanitation, poor waste management and hygiene issues and middle-income countries, accounting for 60% of all diarrhoeal deaths due to improper waste management. Each year, 297 000 children under the age of five die because of poor water, sanitation, and hygiene. Through the WHO Guidelines on sanitation and health, safe use of wastewater, recreational water quality, and promotion of sanitation safety planning and sanitary inspections, WHO collaborates with partners to promote effective risk assessment and management practises for sanitation and waste in communities and health facilities.
Given the state of resource availability, use and competing demand, the critical challenge lies in foresight of the issues and preparedness to respond to them for sustainable business operations. The world requires solutions to new and growing existing problems in the availability and quality of water for 6personal, agricultural, industrial use and nature. At the same time, the focus must be on sustainable solutions for these problems requiring less energy, reuse of valuable minerals and metals and low or no production of greenhouse gases.
Water being an important and widely discussed goal within the SDG’s, we intent to schedule a full day virtual event on the subject. With the idea to provide a high profile and wide-ranging platform for businesses, knowledge institutions, investors, UN and governments to forge partnerships, boost innovation, investment, trade and learning, ET Water and Waste Management Conclave is introduced by The Economic Times as part of the bigger umbrella of ET SDGs Summit which will be an ideal platform for the water stakeholders to understand and deliberate on the need of clean, safe water and waste management for all, the growing elements of technology and their application in crisis, risk mitigation and business growth.
Key topics
- Corporate Water Stewardship: Driving Water to the Top of the CSR Agenda
- Water for All: Water Conservation and Emerging Issues
- Innovation and Technology Intervention in Waste Management Ecosystem
- Water security, sanitation & hygiene for sustainable development
- Scaling-up and deepening of best practices and strategies in Industrial water & waste use efficiency
- Water technology and utility innovation
- Improving water-use efficiency
- Wastewater Management
- Increasing safe water access for communities that face scarcity
- Adoption of smart water policies and regulations
- Sustainable Investment in Water and waste management
- Water and waste management Infrastructure
- Optimising water use
- AI, IOT, Data and Innovations in water & waste management sector
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SUMMIT
The Economic Times Global Sustainability Congress Series – Water & Waste
With the theme “Reducing Water & Waste Stress by 2050” the virtual summit will initiate thought provoking discussions and advocate for SDG-6, water technology innovation, waste management and new scientific practices for business growth. Water is an economically strategic resource and a core element of natural capital underpinning many business activities. A combined technological approach, based on the state-of-the-art in science and technology, may offer a solution to several developments, within business and society, with a worldwide impact on the demand for and use of water.
The deliberations will revolve around water use management, waste management, technology update, water infrastructure, financing opportunities and profitable partnerships. We bring together business, government and finance groups, supported by academics and expert practitioners, to tackle challenges they could not solve alone.
Key Highlights
30+
Speakers
10+
Sessions
1000+
Audience
Case Studies
Exhibition
Spotlight Talks
The Attendees
Water Technology Providers
Irrigation Companies
Water Utilities
Equipment / Manufacturers / Regulators
Governments
Investors
UN Experts
Solution Providers
Development Banks
Policy And Decision Makers
Water Infrastructure Developers
Sustainability Experts
AGENDA
June 29, 2022
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Jal Shakti
G Asok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga
H.K. Agarwal, Managing Director, Grasim Industries Limited and Business Director- Pulp and Fibre, Aditya Birla Group
Advancing private-sector water management by empowering businesses to lower business risks and fostering innovation in water-related data, tools, and strategies. through Integrated Design and Planning.
For the first time in history, urban parts are home to more than half of the world's population. Around 6.4 billion people will live in cities by 2050. These people will be living in a world that is becoming increasingly water limited, with demand for water expected to rise by 55% by 2050. Rapid population increase, industrialization, climate change, water pollution, and maintaining, renewing, and extending urban water infrastructure are just a few of the enormous difficulties that urban water management and systems are confronting.
Discussion Points
- Importance of industrial water management
- Water management and sanitation in developing countries
- Deep dive into the water management of huge corporations
- High-quality content, and inclusive, solution-driven collaboration at its core
Speakers:
- Ashish Dwivedi, CEO, Birla White, Aditya Birla Group
- Pravin Karve, CEO, Thermax Babcock & Wilcox Energy Solutions
Namrata Rana, Director Strategy & Brand, Futurescape - Moderator
Vishal Mehra, Business Unit Head – Water & Waste Solution, Thermax Limited
Discussion Points
- Designing, building, and operating wastage treatment plants, wastewater treatment and industrial waste treatment plants
- Tertiary treatment for reduce and reuse of the industrial waste
- Smart waste management creating improved data quality and better insights into waste streams during operations and other processes
- Cross-Industry collaboration to enhance the recycling value chain
- Systemic circular economy for recycling to benefit businesses, society, and the environment.
- Industrial Waste-to-energy in India
Speakers:
- Kiran Sarkar, Head Sustainability, Mahindra & Mahindra (Automotive & Farm Business)
- Prabodha Acharya, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, JSW Group
Dr Suneel Pandey, Senior Fellow and Director, Environment & Waste Management Division, TERI - Moderator
Nitin Gupta, CEO & Co-Founder, Attero Recycling
Digital solutions in waste management are now not seen as option but as “imperative”. The session aims to provide an overview of the current state of digital in the e-waste and waste management sector the value potential for digital solutions, and the lessons learned from those on the digital journey.
- Big data, innovative solutions, autonomous vehicles in the applications for e-waste and waste management, efficiency, supply, quality and more
Speakers:
- Dr Vedpriya Arya, Head – Herbal Research Dept., Patanjali Research Foundation
- Dr Sameer Joshi, Honorary Treasurer Governing Council, Indian Plastic Institute
Utkarsh Majmudar, Member of Board of Governors, IIM Raipur- Moderator
- Current scenario of Hygiene & Sanitation in India
- Substantial progress that has been made over the past few years
- Rise in the awareness of hand-sanitation & Hygiene post COVID 19 outbreak
- What are the other challenges & opportunities in India?
- Solutions to make hygiene and sanitation affordable & accessible
- Moderator: Syamal Sarkar (Ph.D.), IAS (R) Former Secretary, Min. of Water Resources & DoPT
- Amit Konlade, Global SCM Operations - Leader, SATO
Wilma Rodrigues, Founder and CEO, Saahas Zero Waste (SZW)
According to the UN-Water GLAAS report released in 2017, a massive increase in water and sanitation investments is necessary to fund the Sustainable Development Goals. The current level of WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) funding is insufficient to accomplish the SDG goals of universal access to safe and inexpensive drinking water, as well as appropriate sanitation and hygiene.
Looking at the companies' goals for this year in terms of investing in cleanliness, water, and sanitation, as well as creating a long-term work environment for future employees and for the better world.
Discussion Points
- Financial flows to the water and sanitation sector
- Investments in water-related and sanitation infrastructure by government and
- International aid and credit flows for water, sanitation sector
- Partnerships and country level initiatives
Speakers:
- Prabhjot Sodhi, Senior Program Director – Circular Economy, Centre for Environment Education
- Nitin Bassi, Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water
- Seema Bhardwaj, Director India, Germany Trade & Invest
- Joop Stoutjesdijk, Lead Water Specialist, World Bank
Somouleendra Ghosh, Associate Partner, KPMG India - Moderator
- Water allocation and water Economics
- Water supply and sanitation
Speaker:
Dr Anil K. Garg, CEO, Energy and Environment Foundation, India