To celebrate the spirit of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in the 75^th year of Independence and channel dialogue on need for clean air in the country, a conference titled ‘Vayu – The vital life force’ is being organized at Siksha O Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha from December 02 – 04, 2022. This Conference is focused on varied air quality issues ranging from scientific discussions on climate change and pollution control to enriching our understanding on air quality from ancient scriptures and texts.

His Excellency Prof. Ganeshi Lal, the Governor of Odisha; Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Member of Parliament, Cuttack; Smt Aprajita Sarangi, Member of Parliament, Bhubaneswar and distinguished dignitaries from all around the country will be gracing the event.

According to the concept of Panchmahaboot everything in nature is made up of five elements Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. The imbalance or threat to any of these elements threatens the wellbeing of humanity. Thus, the clean air is vital to sustain life force and good health. The aim of the Vayu conference is to build upon the multidimensional efforts taken by Governments to achieve our air quality targets as set in National Clean Air Program by uniting all the important stakeholders.

To celebrate the achievements of our cities in their efforts to achieve clean air targets, ‘National Clean Air City’ award based on Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan will be given to best performing nine cities for meeting air quality targets and implementation of corrective, preventive and mitigation actions. Total cash prize of about Rs. 05 Crores will be awarded to these cities to motivate them to take further concrete action towards clean air goals.

To constructively engage the youth of the country and give them a platform to present their innovative ideas to solve air quality challenges, an engaging youth session has been organized on December 02, 2022, wherein students will be involved in scholar sessions on atmospheric science, climate change, human health, heritage studies, agriculture issues and mitigation measures. An exhibition to raise public awareness on air quality, natural alternatives and showcasing heritage of Odisha will also be held.

The conference will be attended by more than 500 participants comprising experts, students, academicians, State Pollution Control Boards, Pollution Control Committees, Municipal Commissioners, State Environment Secretaries, scientists, and engineers. It will be a mega participatory event to nurture Jan Bhagidari in the ongoing celebrations under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

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HS/SSV