A three day Management Development Programme (MDP) was organized by the Centre for Management Studies, Dibrugarh University under its consultancy cell, Parivartan, from 21st to 23rd December, 2017, on the topic ‘Growth, Equity, and Equality - Building Scenarios Towards Sustainable Development’. The resource person of the MDP was Dr. Usha Jumani, a Fellow from the IIM, Ahmadabad. She works as a management consultant and independent research scholar engaged in interventions that promote the concepts of self-employment for the majority of the working population and autonomy for all which lead to building people’s organizations to be in the mainstream of development efforts. Dr. Jumani was assisted by Dr. Bhupati Kumar Das, Emeritus Professor of Dibrugarh University in the capacity of Internal Resource Person. Dr. Das is also the Adviser, Centre for Leadership Development, Assam Administrative Staff College. He is a former Managing Director of Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. and also a former Managing Director of Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd. The inaugural function was addressed by the resource persons along with Professor Ajanta B. Rajkonwar, Chairperson of CMSDU and Dean of School of Commerce and Management Sciences.
Altogether 21 participants participated in the Programme out of which 11 participants were from the corporate sector. The corporate sector participants represented Assam Gas Company Limited (AGCL), Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL), Digboi Refinery, Jalan Tea Group, North Eastern Coalfields and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL). The participants from Dibrugarh University were from Department of Commerce, Department of Economics, CMS and the Examination Department. The MDP sensitized the participants to the causes and consequences of growing inequities and inequalities at multiple levels and made them understand economic inequality in India and interpret the data relating to Human Development Index and inequality in the context of their own work along with interpreting scenarios of inclusive growth towards a sustainable future with a focus on the Indian realities. A unique feature of the MDP was field visits to six places in Dibrugarh which included two Anganwadi Kendras, the Day Care Centre of the University, Centre for Computer Studies, Dibrugarh University, J. D. Institute of Fashion Technology and a Centre run By IndiaCanEducation Pvt. Ltd. under the Deen Dayal Upadhaya Grameen Kaushal Yojana (DDU-GKY). The field visit was undertaken to provide ground reality exposure to the nature of inequality related to two themes – Under-5 Malnutrition and Skills Training – as a continuation of the classroom learning in the MDP.
The valedictory session was addressed by Professor Alak K. Buragohain who touched upon the topic of the MDP in the context of higher education. A couple of participants also shared their feedback and their experience from the MDP. The MDP concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Himadri Barman who was also the coordinator of the Programme.