India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy: Hon’ble Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri at IFTDO 2022 World Conference

IFTDO 2022: Hon’ble Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurate the biggest HR World Conference in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi

New Delhi, May 19, 2022: Stressing on how Covid-19 disrupted life but India managed to surpass even developed nations in the pace with which it adapted to change, The Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla on Thursday said that we thought our population was a curse, but now due to a shit in the work culture, it’s a boon.

“As challenges arise, India has been ready to face those challenges. We have adopted innovation swiftly in the face of Covid-19 pandemic. What we never manufactured in India – our skilled workforce so quickly – that now are a global hub and are able to vaccinate our own populations and others. India has progressed in every sector, thanks to its young workforce. Indian youth-led startups are now giving solutions to real-time issues,” Birla said in his keynote address at the inauguration of IFTDO World Conference & Exhibition that it is taking place in the physical format after two years, from May 19-21, 2022. This will be the 5th time this international conference will be held in India after 2013.

He added: “In the new context, we must discuss how to increase production with minimal resources as well as improve management and increase avenues for employment.”

Projecting that India will add 180 million people to the working-age group of 15-64 years between 2020-2050, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Housing & Urban Affairs on Thursday said that India will need to invest in training and development of new tech like 5G, virtual reality and augmented reality to deliver the innovation we need in sectors like green hydrogen, battery storage and biofuel.

“We are in the happy situation of India being the fastest-growing major economy in all sectors – 8.2% in FY2022-23. Unless we have the full and whole-hearted support of the Indian industry to adopt and adapt workplace norms in post-pandemic era,”

Pointing to India’s role in the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to both its own citizens and global citizens in his address, he added that, “When the pandemic hit India, we did not have a domestic manufacturing capacity. But today, when we speak of India having developed indigenous vaccines, and the Cowin platform that has become a global case study with the administration of almost 2 billion vaccines. When we talk of India producing and distributing free vaccines – 190 million of 200 million are free.”

Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, President IFTDO, and Director (HR), Indian Oil Corporation Limited said, “We have been deliberating upon the changing dynamics of the workforce for many years. However, the face of the pandemic, doing business has changed. Now is the time to move from the traditional form of leadership and create digital leaders. While there has been disruption, it also brings in diversity, which leads to more effective ideas and their implementation. But, how do we really do it? This conference will deliberate on that. Transitioning to new horizons is the new normal. The onus is on us to achieve this talented and agile workforce to achieve PM’s vision of net-zero by 2070.”

Dr. Natraj Ray, National President, ISTD said, “The Conference’s theme is chosen with care, keeping in mind the current challenges posed by Covid-19 and accelerated digitization. I am sure this conference will be a pathway and stepping stone for the exchange of ideas for thought leaders of today.”

Dr. Ahmed Al Banna, Chairman, IFTDO, Chief Executive, Origin Group, Bahrain said: “This Conference’s title gives us two messages – challenges and opportunities. Whether we like it or not, we are faced with challenges, ranging from inflation, technological and medical challenges and even an economic world war. We have to create opportunities out of challenges – and we have to invest more in human capital development through many functions, such as this conference.”

Dr. Vinayshil Gautam, Chair, Steering Committee & President Emeritus, ISTD said: “All times require agility and ability to grow, are times of change. You and I exist in this time, that’s what makes it special. Unprecedented experiences of the last two years have enriched few but devastated most. The problems are known, the solutions are known but we have to move in time towards solutions, else we will be overtaken by events.

IFTDO 2022 is being organized by the Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD) in collaboration with National Human Resource Development (NHRD) and the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE). Other associates are Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).

AT IFTDO 2022, stakeholders and industry leaders from all over the world are discussing the challenges being faced by companies to make the most of the future of work, creating a future-ready, resilient workforce and aligning our thought process to tomorrow. The sessions – panel discussions, concurrent sessions and plenary sessions – are grouped under four tracks: Skills, Technology, Markets and Sustainability.

The inaugural event also had the IFTDO Global Awards Programme which recognized the achievements of organizations and their people across sectors, pertaining to value for money, innovation into practice and learning into action.

Comments are closed.