In Kokrajhar 1st Bodoland Int’l Knowledge Festival started

Guwahati: Bodoland University, with the active support of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Government, organized the first Bodoland International Knowledge Festival at Kokrajhar on Monday.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate Economist Professor Muhammad Younus, Padma Shri Awardee philanthropist and diamond exporter Savji Bhai Dholakia, SECMOL founder Sonam Wangchuk, Bollywood actor and philanthropist Vivek Oberoi BTR, many dignitaries including RK Chief Pramod Boro attended. Baswajit Daimary, Assam Minister UG Brahma, and Consul General Jigme Thinlye Namgyl of the Royal Bhutanese Consulate General Guwahati.
During his speech at the event, Mohammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, emphasized the importance of women empowerment for the overall development of the society.
Yunus stressed the importance of empowering women and encouraging youth to become entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.

He said that if 10 million women can be made entrepreneurs then all human beings will become entrepreneurs.

He urged BTR Chief Promod Boro to create an environment in BTR that supports entrepreneurship.
Yunus shares her past experiences as a teacher and economist and how women’s empowerment helped bring about change in Bangladesh. He also spoke about the adverse effects of global warming and artificial intelligence and stressed the need to redesign the economic framework for a better future.
Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding the Grameen Bank and advancing the concepts of microcredit and microfinance.
BTR Chief Pramod Boro termed the inauguration of Bodoland Knowledge Festival as a historic event.

“We are extremely happy and excited to welcome back some of these brilliant human beings who have contributed so much to transform humanity. We hope this will mark a new beginning at BTR,” Boro said.
The Boro reaffirmed its commitment to improving the lives of the 3.5 million people in the BTR, after a four-decade-long journey plagued by violence.

The Bodoland International Knowledge Festival focuses on contemporary BTR and social development priorities in the world and achieving the key Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030.
Various topics including science and technology, livelihoods, indigenous knowledge systems, women’s empowerment, child rights and protection, peace building, good governance, communication and media, behavior change and communication, human rights, and Sub-themes will be discussed. Act East policy in light of sustainable agriculture, climate justice and action, quality education, health and well-being, art and culture, youth entrepreneurship, intellectual property rights, trade, commerce and investment, and BTR.
More than 300 invited delegates from across India and 35 international delegates from 14 countries are participating in the fair.
The Knowledge Festival has more than 10,000 participants, including students, academics, researchers, development experts, government officials, politicians, entrepreneurs, farmers, and SHG members.
Besides, Bangladesh’s Nobel Laureate Economist Professor Muhammad Yunus, Padma Shri Awardee Philanthropist and Diamond Exporter Savji Bhai Dholakia, SECMOL Founder Sonam Wangchuk, Bollywood Actor and Philanthropist Vivek Oberoi, BTR Many dignitaries including Chief Pramod attended. Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimay, Assam Minister UG Brahma, and Consul General Royal Bhutanese Consulate General Guwahati Jigme Thinlye Namgyl.