Create entrepreneurs, not job seekers: Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus

OUR CORRESPONDENT

KOKRAJHAR: The first Bodoland International Knowledge Festival organized by the Bodoland University with active support from the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) government began in Kokrajhar on Monday.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries, including the Nobel Laureate economist, Prof Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, Padma Shri awardee philanthropist and diamond exporter Savji Bhai Dholakia, SECMOL founder SonamWangchuk, Bollywood actor and philanthropist Vivek Oberoi, BTC chief Pramod Boro, Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Assam minister UG Brahma and Consul General Royal Bhutanese Consolate General Guwahati Jigme Thinlye Namgyl, among others.

Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, spoke on the importance of empowering women for the overall development of society. “If 10 million women can be made entrepreneurs, all humans will be entrepreneurs. It’s important to empower women,” Yunus said.

Yunus also asked BTC chief Promod Boro to create an environment in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) where youths are encouraged to be entrepreneurs instead of job seekers. Recalling his past days as a teacher and economist, Yunus said by empowering women, he could bring a change in Bangladesh. Further, Yunus spoke on the ill effects of global warming and artificial intelligence. He stressed the need to undo and redesign the economic framework for a better tomorrow.

Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance.

More than 10,000 participants are taking part in the Knowledge Festival comprising students, academicians, researchers, development practitioners, government officials, politicians, entrepreneurs, farmers and SHG members, among others.

BTC chief Pramod Boro termed the inauguration of the Bodoland Knowledge Festival as historic. “We are extremely happy and glad to welcome some wonderful human beings whose contributions are immense. We hope this will mark a new beginning in the BTR,” he said.

Boro said that they are committed to changing the life of 3.5 million people in the BTR after a four-decade-long violence-torn journey. The thematic area of the Bodoland International Knowledge Festival is the achievement of social development priorities and key Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 in contemporary BTR and the world.

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