Guwahati: Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, who visited Assam as the chief guest at Bodoland International Knowledge Festival 2023 in Kokrajhar (administrative headquarter of Bodoland Autonomous Region) held on 27 February to 2 March, commented that we need to encourage youth to become entrepreneurs instead of job seekers. He also emphasized on creating a world of three zeros by reducing global warming, wealth concentration and unemployment.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony Prof Yunus said that empowering women by turning them into entrepreneurs is key to the overall development of society and the focus of any government should be to create entrepreneurs and not job seekers. Yunus said Grameen Bank’s initiatives could bring a change in Bangladesh by turning women into entrepreneurs.
“If 10 million women (borrowers of Grameen Bank) could become entrepreneurs, then we can easily conclude anybody can become an entrepreneur. We just do not give a chance to people to become entrepreneurs. We push them to become jobseeker instead”, stated the banker to poor people.
Organised by Bodoland University with active support from the Bodoland Territorial Region government, the knowledge festival was also addressed by BTC chief Pramod Boro, State assembly speaker Biswajit Daimary, state minister UG Brahma with a number of vice-chancellors of universities. Prof Yunus had an intensive exchange of thoughts on education with the vice cChancellors from ten Assam-based universities in a special session in sideline of the festival.
The festival focused on implementing sustainable development goals 2030 in BTR, and the world at large. Issues deliberated on included science and technology, indigenous knowledge systems, women empowerment, child rights and protection, peace-building and good governance, etc. More than 300 delegates from across India, and 35 delegates from 14 countries participated in the festival. Besides addressing the knowledge festival, Prof Yunus also spoke at Bodoland College and Bodoland University. Later he addressed the students and teachers of Rongia College and Gauhati University.
