Two-day international conference on digital shift begins at Sarkaghat
The Department of Commerce and Management at Rabindranath Tagore Government Degree College, Sarkaghat, Mandi, inaugurated a two-day international conference themed “Digital transformation and its impact on business, economy, and environment: sustainable development goals”.
Held in a hybrid format, the event commenced with an inauguration ceremony graced by Dr. Lalit Kumar Awasthi, Vice-Chancellor of Sardar Patel University, Mandi, as the chief guest.
The ceremony began with the lighting of the lamp and Saraswati Vandana. Principal Dr RR Kaundal welcomed Dr Awasthi, international speakers, educators, scientists, and researchers, and presented him with a Himachali cap, shawl and memento.
In his inaugural address, Dr Awasthi highlighted the transformative potential of digital technologies in education and society while stressing the importance of aligning digital growth with sustainable development for future generations. Dr Kaundal, conference patron, emphasised the theme’s relevance in addressing the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation. Prominent speakers on the first day included Pawan Gundarapu, Group Domain Leader and Product Manager for AI and Cloud at Safran, Paris; Professor Anton Ivanovich Shigeev of Kazan Federal University, Russia; and Professor Jill Atkins from Cardiff Business School, UK. Key topics discussed included “Transforming Industry 4.0 with Generative AI and Cloud Computing” and “Accounting and financing for rewilding and de-extinction.”
The conference featured 10 technical sessions with research paper presentations from both online and offline participants. Assistant Professor Shakti Chand, the convener, outlined the event’s agenda and introduced the resource persons.
Notable attendees included Prof Tej Singh Verma, co-convener Dr. Subhash Verma, Assistant Prof Pankaj Thakur, faculty, and students of the college. The conference aims to foster discussions on digital transformation’s impact on sustainable development.
