ICSSR-Sponsored National Conference SAMUNNATI 2026 held at RGU
GUWAHATI, January 7, 2026: The Royal School of Commerce, The Assam Royal Global University (RGU), successfully organised an ICSSR Sponsored National Conference titled SAMUNNATI 2026 – “Accelerating SDG Impact Through Collaboration and Innovation in the Vision of Viksit Bharat @2047” on Wednesday. The conference was sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, and was conducted in association with the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), RGU, in collaboration with West Guwahati Commerce College and Datamation.
The conference aimed to strengthen dialogue on accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through multi-stakeholder partnerships involving academia, industry, policymakers, and civil society. It also focused on promoting technology-driven and innovation-led models of sustainable development, sustainable finance, inclusive growth, and region-specific development challenges of North-East India, in alignment with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
The inaugural session was graced by Prof. (Dr.) Bhagirathi Panda, Honorary Director, ISCCR–NERC, as the Chief Guest. The Guests of Honour included Prof. (Dr.) Asokan Vasudevan, Professor and Director of Sustainable Business Innovation and Corporate Responsibility, INTI University, Malaysia, and Mr. Pawan Kumar Agarwalla, CEO, Datamation. The dignitaries, in their addresses, emphasised the critical role of collaborative research, sustainability-oriented innovation, and policy engagement in achieving national and global development goals.
A key highlight of the conference was a panel discussion on “Accelerating the SDGs through Industry–Academia Collaboration: Prospects and Challenges.” The panel comprised Prof. (Dr.) Asokan Vasudevan, Prof. (Dr.) Bhagirathi Panda, and Dr. Aradhana Borthakur, Assistant Professor, Centre for Management Studies, Dibrugarh University. The session was moderated by Prof. (Dr.) Sudip Chakraborty, Deputy Dean, Royal School of Commerce.
The conference featured four parallel technical sessions covering themes such as Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence, Financial Inclusion and Sustainable Finance, Sustainability and ESG, and Social Entrepreneurship and Community Development. A total of 28 research papers were presented by faculty members, research scholars, and students from various institutions across North-East India and other parts of the country.
