Webinar Link

Meeting No: 2517 678 8219
Password: kashmir

Certificate of Participants

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Abstract

Pahalgam, in Jammu & Kashmir's Anantnag district, holds unique potential to align with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 through community-led, sustainable development. Known for its natural beauty and tourism, it can serve as a model for integrating local strengths with national goals such as the SDGs, Panchayati Raj reforms, and digital inclusion. The recent terrorist attack in the region highlights the dual challenge of ensuring security while pursuing development. Strengthening local governance and citizen participation is crucial to building resilience and fostering inclusive growth. This webinar will explore how decentralized planning in regions like Pahalgam can contribute meaningfully to India’s developmental future.

About the Speakers

Amb. Skand R. Tayal

Amb. Skand Ranjan Tayal joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976. He served at Indian missions in Sofia Warsaw Geneva and Moscow. He was Indias Consul General in Johannesburg Houston and ambassador of India to Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea.A graduate from the Allahabad University Amb. Tayal studied chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.Currently he is a guest professor at the Department of East Asian Studies University of Delhi. Amb. Tayal is the author of the book India and Republic of Korea: Engaged Democracies. His areas of interest include East Asia Central Asia the UN system and PIOs.

Lt. Gen. Rakesh Sharma

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Rakesh Sharma is General Bipin Rawat Chair of Excellence, The United Service Institution of India (USI); and Distinguished Fellow, VIF and CLAWS. Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma was commissioned in Gorkha Rifles in 1977, and had a career spanning forty years in the Army. He has had extensive operational experience in Jammu and Kashmir, North East and on the Western Borders. The officer had trained the Botswana Army for three years in Africa, and attended the National War College at Abuja, Nigeria. Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma attended the NDC at New Delhi. He was Research Fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and has done PhD in Defence Studies. General Rakesh Sharma commanded the Fire and Fury Corps in Ladakh responsible for Kargil, Siachin Glacier and Eastern Ladakh – facing both Pakistan and China. The General was the Adjutant General of the Indian Army responsible for the Human Resource Management and superannuated in 2017. He has been awarded by the President of India. He is a regular participant in seminars, lectures in various institutions, and regularly writes for newspapers and military journals. He is currently DISTINGUISHED FELLOW with Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and on the EXECUTIVE COUNCIL of Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and of Global Counter Terrorism Council (GCTC).

G. M. Bhat

Professor G. M. Bhat is a distinguished academic with over 34 years of teaching experience and more than 39 years of research experience. He has held prominent positions at several prestigious institutions, including the S.K. University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Srinagar, the University of Kashmir, King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Central University of Kashmir. Throughout his career, Professor Bhat has been involved in various research projects, contributing significantly to the academic community. He has provided guidance to 18 Ph.D. candidates and 20 M.Phil. students.

In addition to his teaching and research roles, Professor Bhat has been actively engaged in academic publishing. He serves as the editor of the International Journal of Development Studies and Research, a refereed journal based in New Delhi. He has authored nine books and published 56 research papers. He has also organized ten national and international conferences and seminars, demonstrating his leadership in the academic sphere.

Professor Bhat is a life member of several professional organizations, including the Indian Economic Association, the International Institute for Development Studies, and the Indian Institute of Public Administration. He has also been an executive member of the Indian Society of Labour Economics and served as Vice President and E.C. member of the Indian Economics and Allied Sciences Association.

Uttam K. Sinha

Uttam Sinha is a leading commentator on trans-boundary water issues, climate change, and the Arctic region. He is a Senior Fellow of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses where he leads the non-traditional security centre, and is the managing editor of the institute’s flagship journal Strategic Analysis published by Routledge.

He is a recipient of several fellowships and leadership programmes including Senior Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (2018-2020); academic visitor at the Harvard Kennedy School (2015); Chevening ‘Gurukul’ leadership at the London School of Economics and Political Science (2008) and a visiting fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (2006).

His books include Indus Basin Interrupted: A History of Territory and Politics from Alexander to Nehru (Penguin Random House, 2021); Riverine Neighbourhood: Hydro-politics in South Asia (2016); and Climate Change Narrative: Reading the Arctic (2014). He has several edited and co-edited volumes including Non-Traditional Security Challenges in Asia: Approaches and Responses (Routledge, 2015); Arctic: Commerce, Governance and Policy (Routledge, 2015) and Emerging Strategic Trends in Asia (IDSA, 2015).