Annual Innovation in Sustainability Award introduced by BIM, Tiruchirappalli

To commemorate World Food Day on October 6 and the start of the prestigious Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's two-year Fellowship Program, launched on September 29, 2022, BIM Trichy institutes an Innovation in Sustainability Award to be conferred on an individual or organisation every year at an event where distinguished leaders from across domains will share their experiences of achieving SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Madras Management Association is the collaborator for the event.

The first Innovation in Sustainability Award in 2022 is conferred on Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG), an Indian affiliate of Soka Gakkai International, a global association of grassroots organizations that seeks to promote the values of peace and respect for all people. Vishesh Gupta, Chairperson of BSG, received the award for the unique initiative of achieving SDG goals through sustainable human behaviour enabled by apps, gamification and community awareness creation. Held in Madras Management Association, Chennai, the event saw the dignitaries N Bala Baskar, IAS (Retd), Former Principal Adviser, Finance, Ministry of External Affairs-Government of India, Former Secretary, Auroville Foundation sharing the experience of sustainable living at Auroville. Anshul Mishra, IAS, Member Secretary-Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, spoke about urbanization, sustainability, and the Government's initiative. Dr L S Ganesh, Vice-Chancellor, ICFAI University, spoke about public policy and sustainability.

Expressing happiness, Dr Asit K Barma, Director, BIM, commented, "Tomorrow’s business order will be around sustainable living, and our program architecture revolves around it. Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli, has set up a Centre for Sustainable Development to take the best practices of sustainable living at the grassroots, develop better products and improve service delivery, thereby contributing to the local ecosystem's sustainable competitiveness. Through this centre, the institute conducts various research, consulting, and outreach activities toward realizing sustainable development goals. The sustainability and welfare students' club at BIM undertakes multiple activities, including organizing marathons and awareness campaigns on various environmental issues, such as no single-use plastic, conservation of energy, health and hygiene, and tree planting."