Jaipur: With a strong commitment to building a greener India, JECRC University, through its Centre for Sustainable Development Goals, organized the Sustainability Impact and Innovation Summit. Based on the theme “The Impact Revolution: Youth, Institutions and Industry,” the event brought together leaders from government, corporate sectors, and environmental communities to inspire youth to lead a balanced future between nature and progress.
Addressing the summit, Ajitabh Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary of Rajasthan, urged young people to move beyond a “default life” mindset and consciously choose careers that address complex ecological challenges. He emphasized that sustainability must go beyond policy frameworks and become an integral part of everyday life. Highlighting water and energy management as multidisciplinary challenges, he called for stronger coordination between agriculture, industry, and urban policies, along with improved energy storage infrastructure to ensure future energy security.
Renowned environmentalist Viral Desai, popularly known as the “Green Man of India,” cited the example of the Shaheed Smriti Van at Udhna Railway Station and stressed turning environmental conservation into a mass movement. Describing environmental protection as a modern-day satyagraha, he encouraged youth to become “environment warriors” and make reforestation a collective responsibility.
From a corporate perspective, Gokul Pandian, Director at Ernst & Young, urged businesses to go beyond mere compliance and integrate environmental strategies into their core models. Referring to the “People, Planet, Profit” principle and carbon pricing, he cautioned against greenwashing and emphasized transparent, data-driven ESG reporting.
Taking sustainability from vision to action, the university introduced ‘Eco Credits,’ under which students actively participating in green projects will receive three academic credits directly added to their mark sheets. Additionally, a ₹30,000 sustainability scholarship was announced to support innovative ideas. To promote green entrepreneurship, the JECRC Incubation Centre has created a ₹25 lakh fund to provide full funding and mentorship to eco-friendly startups without equity. The university will also assist in patent registration and commercialization of sustainable innovations.
Strengthening its environmental mission, Dhimant Agarwal presented the ‘Vision 2030,’ aiming to make the campus 100% plastic-free while implementing a circular economy model. He noted that the goal is not to pass on a crisis to future generations, but to build sustainability as the foundation of their success and leadership. So far, over 1,800 students have received sustainability internship opportunities with global companies like Microsoft, Salesforce, and OPPO.
Concluding the event, Prachi Kaushik, Head of the Centre for Sustainable Development Goals, emphasized that collective intent, strong determination, and unity can transform the current environmental crisis into a historic opportunity for change.