The Departments of Economics and Rural Development, Commerce and Business Administration, in association with the IQAC, jointly organized Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi-sponsored Two-Day International Conference on “Rural Livelihoods and Sustainability: A Global Perspective.” The event was held at the Indraprastha Auditorium on the 9th and 10th of February 2026.
The conference was inaugurated on 9 February 2026 by Dr. Satheeshchandra S., Secretary of the SDME Society. In his inaugural address, he emphasized the vital role of villages in national development and highlighted the importance of scientific advancement in strengthening rural economies. The Chief Guests for the programme were Prof. Mariano Rojas, Professor of Economics at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Mexico, and Ms. Nalini Rathnarajah from Sri Lanka. A book with an ISBN, comprising 36 articles contributed by distinguished scholars and edited by Dr. Ganaraja K. and co-edited by Dr. Lakshminarayana K.S., was released by the guests on the occasion. The inaugural programme was presided over by Prof. Vishwanatha P., Principal of the college.
The keynote speaker, Prof. Mariano Rojas, Professor of Economics at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Mexico City, emphasized that the present contention of growth should be changed. He further stressed that development should foster societal welfare rather than misery.
The keynote address was followed by eight technical sessions led by eminent speakers. On the first day, resource persons including Ms. Nalini Rathnarajah from Sri Lanka, Mr. Anil Kumar S.S., CEO of SKDRDP, Dharmasthala, and Dr. Audrama KAS (Senior Scale), Additional Deputy Commissioner and Additional District Magistrate of Vijayapura District, Karnataka, delivered lectures on Feminist Pathways to Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, SKDRDP as an MSME Supporting Organization, and Public-Private Partnership as a Strategy for Sustainable Rural Development and Livelihood, respectively. The conference also featured four parallel paper presentation sessions held at different venues, during which 74 research papers were presented by delegates from across India. These sessions were chaired by Dr Udyachandra P. N., Principal (Retd.), SDM College (Autonomous), Ujire, Dr. A. Jayakumar Shetty Principal (Retd.), SDM College (Autonomous), Ujire, Prof. Parameshwara, Professor, Department of Commerce, Mangalore University, Konaje and Dr Ravishankara K. R., Head, Dept. of Social Work, SDM PG Centre, Ujire.
On the second day, five technical sessions were conducted by the resource persons. Mr. Swapnil Shanu Bhargav, Assistant General Manager, FinTech, RBI, Bengaluru; Prof. Ramesh S. Salian, Professor of Economics at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University; New Delhi, Dr. Kishore Kumar Das, Professor of Commerce and Business Management, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha; Prof. Azizuddin Sulthani from Afghanistan, Post-Doctoral Researcher at Mangalore University, Konaje; and Prof. M. C. Chandrakanth, Director (Retired), Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, spoke on the Role of Digital Payments and Fintech for Sustainable Rural Livelihood, ICT-Driven Transformation: Bridging Digital Divides for Rural Livelihoods in India, Agripreneurship and Sustainable Livelihoods, Financial Inclusion and Social Security in the Informal Sector, and Issues in Health Economics in India, respectively.
Immediately following the technical sessions, the conference featured a panel discussion moderated by Prof. Preethi Keerthi D’Souza, Professor, Department of Commerce, Mangalore University, Konaje. Distinguished panelists, including Dr. Rajesh Acharya H., Associate Professor from NITK Surathkal; Mr. Vijay Kumar B. P., Executive Director, RUDSETI, Central Secretariat, Ujire; Mrs. Manorama Bhat G. V., Advocate and Former Director of SIRI; and Mr. Kiran Ronad, Managing Director of KRS Tours, Malaysia, offered their insights regarding sustainable rural livelihood practices in India and abroad.
The valedictory session was presided over by Prof. Vishwanatha P., Principal of SDM College (Autonomous), Ujire. The valedictory address was delivered by Sri K. N. Janardhan, Managing Director of Siri Gramodyoga Samsthe, Belthangady. The conference was attended by 450 participants.
