Nagpur: CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) organised Prof. P. Khanna Memorial Lecture on August 14 in the NEERI Auditorium. The Chief Guest Dr. P. Ram Babu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), RSM GC Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai delivered the lecture. Dr. J.S. Pandey, Chief Scientist and Science Secretary along with Prakash Kumbhare, senior Principal Scientist were also present on this occasion.
While delivering the lecture on ‘Can Circular Economy be the next Renewable Energy?’ Dr.Ram Babu said that aligning waste management with the circular economy is a big challenge. The development of a circular economy will require high-quality, secondary raw materials that can be fed back into production processes to derive profit from waste, he added.
He revealed that the waste management sector will have to become a key partner in building new business models that focus both on waste prevention and turning waste into a resource. We need to strengthen the waste hierarchy which prioritizes actions to take at products’ end of life, he advocated. He stated that the implementation of circular economy in the areas of construction, food and agriculture, and vehicle manufacturing could bring India annual benefits of 40 lakh crore (US$ 624 billion) in 2050 compared with the current linear economy.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Dr. J.S. Pandey, Chief Scientist and Science Secretary briefed about the significant contributions of Prof. P. Khanna. Prof. Khanna initiated various new R and D areas in CSIR-NEERI. Prof. Khanna had a vision and determination, he added.
The students and faculty of J.D. College of Engineering & Management and Priyadarshini College of Engineering also visited the R and D facilities of the Institute, where they interacted with the scientists and attended the lecture.
