Welcome Message

As the Chairman of the Organizing Committee it gives me immense pleasure, along with a sense of pride and honour, to invite you all to the 21st Indian Engineering Congress to be held at Guwahati during 21-24 December 2006. This year we would be deliberating around the theme "Challenges of Engineering for sustainable 10% Growth and Beyond’’ which assumes great significance in the context of an emerging and global India. I am sure, esteemed members and delegates present would be able to benefit from each other through active deliberations and exchanges on this theme, besides other prestigious events to be organized during the Congress.
Guwahati is a very dynamic and hospitable city, nestled in the lap of nature at one corner of the country. Many of you might have been here earlier, while the others might have been planning to visit this ancient city. I would like to extend my heartiest welcome to all of you, since December is a lovely season to be here, and mix your work with lots of sightseeing and fun. We, the members of the Organizing Committee, would love to have all of you with us, since you represent the engineering, science & technology, education & academia, and entrepreneurship community of this country. I hope you will accept our invitation and strengthen the bonds of friendship and brotherhood.

Dr. Pradyut Kumar Goswami
Chairman, Organizing Committee
 

CONGRESS HIGHLIGHTS

GLIMPSES OF ENGINEERING PERSONALITIES

A unique opportunity is provided in this session to budding engineers to listen to veterans narrating their experiences in tackling various engineering problems of complex nature during their professional career and is a much eagerly sought after event at the Indian Engineering Congress.

MEMORIAL LECTURES

1. 49th Sir M Visvesvaraya Memorial Lecture
   The lecture was instituted to commemorate the notable achievements of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya in the field of engineering.
    

2. 28th Sir R N Mookerjee Memorial Lecture
   The lecture was instituted in memory of Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee, Inaugural President of The Institution of Engineers (India).
    

3. 15th Dr. Amitabha Bhattacharyya Memorial Lecture
   The lecture was instituted in memory of Dr. Amitabha Bhattacharyya, Past President of The Institution of Engineers (India) and an eminent personality with outstanding achievements in the field of engineering.
    

4. 32nd Bhaikaka Memorial Lecture
   The lecture was instituted in memory of Late Bhailal Bhai Patel popularly known as Bhaikaka, an eminent personality with unique contribution towards engineering, particularly rural engineering.
    

5. 19th Dr. A N Khosla Memorial Lecture
   The lecture was instituted in memory of Dr. A N Khosla, an eminent engineer, administrator and a Past President of the IEI.
    

6. 41st Nidhu Bhushan Memorial Lecture
   This lecture was instituted in 1966 by the illustrious metallurgist - philosopher late Prof. Guru Prasad Chatterjee in memory of his father late Nidhu Bhushan Chatterjee. The lecture deal with the subject related to science, philosophy and spiritualism.

LADIES PROGRAMME

It is expected that a large number of lady corporate members, lady delegates and spouses of the delegates will attend the Indian Engineering Congress. Special programmes are being planned for them.

POST-CONGRESS TOURS

Post-Congress tours are being planned to provide an opportunity to delegates to visit the places of historical interest and scenic beauty of the State of Assam as well as NE region. A tour is being planned to organize by Assam State Centre after the culmination of Indian Engineering Congress.

CULTURAL PROGRAMMES AND CONGRESS DINNER

Cultural Programmes will be organized during December 22-24, 2006 and 21st Congress Dinner on December 22, 2006 to fecilitate the delegates to foster fellowship.

PARTICIPATION FEE

The registration fee payable by each delegate is as follows and the amount should be mentioned in the Registration Form (enclosed).

*Attested photo copy of Identity Card.

Payments : All remittances are to be made by Bank draft only favouring "The Institution of Engineers (India), 21st Indian Engineering Congress", payable at Guwahati. Remittance by cheque or money order will not be accepted

CONGRESS SEMINAR

CHALLENGES OF ENGINEERING FOR SUSTAINABLE 10% GROWTH AND BEYOND

It is estimated that to achieve the vision of India as a developed country by 2020, a double digit growth rate will be required. This cannot be achieved if the growth is confined only to certain sectors like the service sector. There has to be all -round growth including the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. We also need a Second Green Revolution. This in turn will require development of necessary infrastructure, not only the physical infrastructure such as roads, power, telecommunication, railways etc. but also, what some term as, social infrastructure like education and health. Further, the growth should reduce, if not bridge, not only the present urban-rural disparities, but also the disparities amongst the various urban strata. Encompassing all these facets is the necessity for sustainable development so that growth does not damage/ destroy the environment we live in, making the growth finally meaningless.
Engineering activities are engines of wealth creation and no activity in any economy including manufacturing trade or service, is devoid of engineering inputs. The scenario thus poses multi-dimensional challenges to engineers, who have always played a major role in the economic development of a country.

It is against this backdrop that the 21st Indian Engineering Congress will attempt to deliberate in detail the following issues:

• Education for Engineering in Present Context.

The growing demand for better comforts and the conviction that the same can be achieved through science & technology, propelled through good education and research, has gained prominence like never before. Engineering aims at practical application of the scientific facts and it requires a large number of human resources to meet the societal demands. To have a meaningful engineering education in our institutions, the mindsets of the students at secondary school be guided through proper foundation courses, leading to better professionals and enhanced employability. Globalization has brought countries closer, removing all tangible and intangible barriers. Therefore, a continued innovation in engineering education that basically drives the economy of a nation is very important. One of the objectives of the Congress Seminar of the 21st Indian Engineering Congress is to provide a platform for the educationists from different schools of the country to share their views for innovations in engineering education to achieve a growth of 10% and beyond.

• Engineering in Agriculture for Economic Progress

A strategy for achieving 10% growth in the next plan period should be based on the experiences particularly in some major sectors including agriculture. Agricultural growth slowed down markedly during the 1990's compared with the 1980's. In food grains, in which the nation has a modest surplus, annual production growth went down to 1.3% from 3.3%, and non-food grains to 2.8% from 4.0%. the most significant gains were in oilseeds, cotton, sugar, vegetables, dairy products and livestock. It is clear that the pattern of consumption is moving up-market, and there is greater demand for higher-value and processed products. Looking at the strategy of Tenth Plan period, it is pertinent to identify issues which are to be addressed in the light of new technology and expertise.

4Appropriate Engineering Practices
4New technology for multi-crop production
4Irrigation, watershed development
4Sustainable agricultural practices

• Rural - Urban Interface for Equitable Development

Urbanization all over the world is on the rise. It is also increasingly being realized that urban and rural development cannot go in isolation, because the interdependence among economic, social and environmental issues from both these entities is too strong to be ignored. The discrete consideration of rural development as completely distinct from urban development is therefore no longer valid. A new approach contemporaneously referred to as the rural-urban interface for equitable development has become the more accepted approach. In the context of our vast country, if necessary drawing examples from other parts of the world, this Congress Seminar would highlight the issues on the following themes:

4Rural- Urban Conflict
4Better Infrastructure
4Major Economic Changes
4Employment/ Enhancement in Income
4Better Living Conditions
4Decline of Natural Resources in Rural Areas.

• Exploration and Exploitation of Natural Energy Resources
Energy is the most important input to bring into line the three pillars of sustainable development economic, social and environmental. Any energy planning for sustainable development needs to take into account the following factors

1. Energy as the contributing factor to virtually every environmental issue.

2. High population growth, especially the urban population in particular, as the cause of steep rise in energy demands.

3. Depleting conventional energy resources, mainly fossil fuels, against slow pace of development of viable alternative energy resources

For a developing country like India, to support the energy needs to sustain a development of 10% is indeed a challenging task.

The following issues are expected to be addressed in the seminar:-

• Primary energy reserves: exploration & utilization potential.

• Demand and growth of electricity, use of efficient technology.

• Development of alternative energy resources.

• Exploration of renewable & non-conventional energy resources.

• Environmental concerns relating to exploration & utilization of energy resources.
   

• Transport System for Uniform Development

Reliable transport systems are the backbone of our lives today with remarkable impact on development and sustainable growth. It is not merely people moving from one place to another; but for all types of movement of goods, facilities and strategic implements, an effective and efficient system needs to be in place.
Issues that need to be addressed are:

• Conservation and Management of Water

Research is the backbone of development of a nation. The success of the development countries has largely been attributed to greater emphasis and funding on research. But, India with its vast natural and human resources has still to go a long distance in this regard. Lack of awareness, improper planning and deficiencies of our system to trap the best brains for R&D have contributed towards a lopsided development in this sector. With the liberalization of Indian economy, our producers and services provides are facing stiff competition from more affluent economies. Here R&D in our context has literally become a necessity for our sustenance and growth.

• Application of R & D for Competitiveness

Research is the backbone of development of a nation. The success of the developed countries has largely been attributed to greater emphasis and funding on research. But, India with its vast natural and human resources has still to go a long distance in this regard. Lack of awareness, improper planning and deficiencies of our system to trap the best brains for R&D have contributed towards a lopsided development in this sector. With the liberalization of Indian economy, our producers and services providers are facing stiff competition from more affluent economies. Hence R&D in our context has literally become a necessity for our sustenance and growth.

• Disaster Management and Rebuilding

Throughout the history, human lives and property have been repeatedly destroyed or damaged by natural disaster. At the global level, during the decade 1993-2002, natural disaster resulted in 531,000 human deaths, 2.5 billion people affected and US $ 654 billion property damage. Major causes and influencing factors for increased vulnerability to disasters are inadequate physical infrastructure, environmental degradation, poor management, inappropriate territorial occupation and land use, concentration of population in hazard prone areas. The above causes are directly influenced by pressure of chronic poverty, social and economic exclusion, rapid urbanization, inadequate planning, weak administrative set up, climate change and climate variability as well as lack of adoption of scientific and engineering advancements. Approximately 75% of the World's population currently lives in areas that have been affected at last once by earthquake, tropical cyclone, flood or draught between 1980 and 2000. Over the past couple of years, India has brought about paradigm shift in its approach to Disaster Management. This new approach emanates from the premise that while there can be no absolute control over hazards, disasters and preventable. Even they do occur we can reduce the loss of lives and assets with appropriate mitigation and preparedness measures.

Authors are invited to submit original unpublished manuscripts in English which adequately highlight the current trends of research in sustainable development vis-a-vis engineering challenges and opportunities.

Each paper should begin with an abstract of 200 words. The abstract should contain title of the paper, name(s) of author (s), affiliation, complete mailing address, phone and e-mail IDs. The paper should be limited to ten typed pages in A4 size paper including text, figures and tables etc. Hard copy of the paper and it soft version (in CD in MS Word) should be sent to Organising Secretary, 21st Indian Engineering Congress, The Institution of Engineers (India), Assam State Centre, Panbazar, Guwahati, with a marking on the envelop ''Paper for 21st Indian Engineering Congress".

Important Dates

Call for support

Organizations, Institutions and Individuals are welcome to support the 21st Indian Engineering Congress by option for any ofthe following categories and make the event a grand success.

Tariff for Exhibition Stall: 40,000.00
Facilities                           : Area 120 sq.ft. with 1 table, 3 chairs & 3 power points)

Tariff for Lunch/ Dinner (for 1500 persons) : Rs. 2.5 Lakh

Our Strength:

The Institution of Engineers (India) has 5,00,000 (five lakh) Corporate and Non-Corporate members at important assignments all over the country. The Institution has also its considerable presence all over the Globe, notably Sydney, Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

You will be able to directly interact with over 2,000 delegates who are potential customers and are at important decision-making positions in different organizations.

Note:

• All remittances are to be made by Demand Draft/ Pay Order in favour of "The Institution of Engineers (India), 21st Indian Engineering Congress", payable at Guwahati.

• Remittance by cheque or money order will not be accepted.

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ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation in hotels at Guwahati will be reserved on request and only on advance payment. This will be done on first-come-first-serve basis. Hotel tariffs at Guwahati range from Rs. 700/- to Rs. 7500/- per day, depending upon the hotel and locality. As the Congress venue is "Pragjyoti- ITA Centre for Performing Arts, Machkhowa, Guwahati-781009", the delegates are advised to stay in nearby hotels.

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