Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar is hosting the 17th Project Appraisal and Monitoring Committee

Bhubaneswar:4/10/24: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar is hosting the 17th Project Appraisal and Monitoring Committee (PAMC) Hydrology & Cryosphere meeting. The meeting organised jointly by Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India and IIT Bhubaneswar is being held from 3rd to 5th October 2024. The objective of the programme is to assess the projects being carried out by different researchers in the field of Hydrology and Cryosphere. IIT Bhubaneswar is hosting the MoES PAMC meeting for the first time.

Dr Aparna Shukla, Member Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) delivered the welcome address during the inaugural session and highlighted the brief overview of the meeting. She mentioned the efforts being taken up by the Ministry to ensure the sustainable use of earth’s natural resources. In the 17th PAMC, the new projects are submitted under the title ‘Risk Reduction in the High Mountain Regions of the Himalayas’. The research proposals were invited under three major themes, i.e. Mapping and Monitoring of Glacier Hazards, Modelling Hazards for Vulnerability and Risk Assessment and Adaptation by Development of Risk Reduction Strategies. Under these themes, proposals were invited for study restricted to the 4 Himalayan States and 2 Union Territories,’” Dr. Shukla informed.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. A. V. Kulkarni, Distinguished Scientist, IISc Bangalore and PAMC Chairman said that the fundamental objective of the PAMC is to analyse and address the impacts of climate change in the Himalayan region, especially the cryosphere. Considering the vulnerability and risks associated with these areas, PAMC has taken up the issue to create an opportunity to conduct research in this field, which can be implemented by the State Governments, and in turn, reduce the risk in high mountains. He mentioned that the objective of this meeting was to brainstorm on enhancing the cryosphere and hydrology research, so that policymakers can make use of the study outcomes for larger interest of the society.

In his address, Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar shared a brief overview of the Institute and its commitment towards the earth and climate sciences. He said that IIT Bhubaneswar is working on 5 pillars: ‘Knowledge Dissemination (Teaching), Knowledge Creation (Research), Knowledge Application (Consultancy), Wealth Generation (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) and Teacher Education through Integrated Teacher Education Programme. He also highlighted the new course launched by the Institute namely ‘Introduction to Research and Entrepreneurship’ for the students.

Speaking on this occasion, Prof. Dinakar Pasla, Dean-Sponsored Research & Industrial Consultancy highlighted that IIT Bhubaneswar has the School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences to encourage cutting-edge research in the fields of climate monitoring and climate change. “The School is growing with every passing year and setting new benchmarks,” he mentioned.

Dr Syed Hilal Farooq (Head of School, School of Earth Ocean and Climate Sciences also spoke on the occasion and shared a brief overview of the School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, which takes a holistic approach towards the issues and concerns about climate change and environmental hazards.

Dr. Debmita Bandyopadhyay, Project Scientist, MoES proposed a vote of thanks.

Dr. Ashim Sattar, Assistant Professor, School of Earth Ocean and Climate Sciences coordinated the programme.