Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates the Kotak School of Sustainability, a pioneering collaboration to address climate challenges and foster sustainable development
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) and Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) have launched the Kotak School of Sustainability, India's first fully integrated school dedicated to sustainability. The inauguration ceremony, presided over by Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, marked a significant step towards advancing India's sustainable journey.
Recognising the imminent threat of global warming and the need for sustainable practices, the Kotak School of Sustainability aims to contribute to India's pursuit of sustainable development. The initiative is backed by KMBL's CSR programme, reflecting a commitment to pedigree education, research, and outreach.
The school will cover various aspects of sustainability beyond technology and economics. This holistic approach is crucial to achieving India’s ambitious net-zero emissions target by 2070. It is aligned with India's national missions related to sustainability and is poised to strengthen the foundation for sustainable development, supporting the country's climate action plans and the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070.Sustainability is an interdisciplinary domain with great potential to draw diverse stakeholders to address complex challenges. The School of Sustainability is expected to contribute significantly to societal and economic progress, aligned with environmental well-being.
The collaboration reflects Kotak's CSR vision to enhance communities' quality of life through positive economic, social, and environmental impacts, aligning with India's social development objectives and the UN SDGs.
Sustainability has emerged as one of the foremost global challenges of our times, which requires various stakeholders to work together, and the role of educational institutes is extremely crucial in this mission. As India continues on its growth path with aspirations to reach high middle-income status, its ability to exist and develop without depleting all of its natural resources will be a challenge that needs to be addressed.
The Kotak School of Sustainability is designed to contribute to growing India's skilled workforce towards achieving the goal of long-term sustainable development, including its net-zero target by 2070. The bank's CSR Project being implemented with IIT Kanpur will focus on enhancing home-grown capabilities to address sustainable development.