20th Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture
On 24 August 2021 | 04:00 PM - 05:30 PM IST
The annual Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture series was initiated by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in 2002 in the memory of the institute's visionary founder and noted technocrat-industrialist, Darbari S. Seth. Under his guidance, TERI emerged as one of the leading knowledge institutions in the field of sustainability and climate change.
The 20th Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Power Company Limited. He will speak on 'Energy Transition and Way forward for India.'
The Presidential address will be delivered by Sh. Bhupender Yadav, Hon'ble Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change; and Hon'ble Union Minister for Labour & Employment. He will speak on 'India's Achievements in Climate Change'.
This year will mark the 100th birth anniversary of Mr. Seth. Apart from the memorial lecture and the presidential address, this year's event will also feature special addresses by two prominent business leaders who knew Mr. Seth closely. The Birth Centenary lectures will be delivered by Mr. R K Krishna Kumar, Trustee, Tata Trusts and Mr. G. Narayana, Chairman Emeritus, Excel Industries Limited.
Speakers
Shri Bhupender Yadav Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change; and Hon’ble Minister for Labour & Employment
Shri. Bhupender Yadav is currently a cabinet minister and is the Hon’ble Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Minister of Labour and Employment since July 2021. Mr. Yadav is a member of Rajya Sabha and Advocate at the Supreme Court of India. He has co-authored Supreme Court on Forest Conservation published by the Universal Law Publisher, 2005; for nine years i.e. 2000-2009 continuously published ‘Nyayapravah’, a legal magazine published by the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad and various articles published in ‘Nyaypravah’ and other leading newspapers and magazines.
He has held several positions including on the Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice; Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011; Business Advisory Committee; Committee on Industry; Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence; Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2014; Select Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015; Select Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Second Amendment) Bill, 2014; Select Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013; Joint Committee on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2015; Select Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016; Joint Committee on the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Bill, 2016; Committee of Transport, Tourism and Culture; Committee on Commerce Member, General Purposes Committee; Committee on Public Accounts; Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Third Amendment) Bill, 2017; Content Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha Television; Joint Committee on the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017; Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice; General Purposes Committee; Committee on Home Affairs; Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Finance; Select Committee of Rajya Sabha on Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019; Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019; Working Group-I- (Civil) of the Public Accounts Committee; and Member, Committee on Rules.
Dr Praveer Sinha CEO & Managing Director, Tata Power Company Limited
Dr. Praveer Sinha is the CEO & Managing Director of The Tata Power Company Limited (TPC, Mumbai), India’s largest integrated power utility. Dr. Sinha has nearly 36 years of experience in Power Generation and Distribution sector in India. Prior to his present role, he had served as the CEO&MD of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), a Public Private Partnership with Delhi Government. He is a qualified Electrical Engineer and has done Master’s in Business Law from National Law University, Bangalore. He has also done his PhD. from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
He is a visiting Research Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA and is also a distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, Ryerson University, Canada. He is a regular speaker in various forums in India and abroad including World Bank, Niti Aayog, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Rockefeller Foundation. He is also the Co-Chairman of the CII National Committee on Power as also on various Industry bodies.
Mr. R K Krishna Kumar Trustee, Tata Trusts
Mr. R K Krishna Kumar joined the Tata Administrative Service in 1963 and was appointed in Tata Industries. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Politics and Public Administration from the Madras University. Mr. R.K. Krishna Kumar was the Director of Tata Sons Limited, the holding company of the Tata Group from 2002 till his retirement in July 2013. Mr. Krishna Kumar was awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India in March 2009 for his contribution to the growth of Indian industry and trade. Mr. Krishna Kumar’s interests, besides professional areas, include philosophies of Science specially Quantum Physics and Cosmology.
Over the period of more than 50 years that Mr. R K Krishna Kumar has been with the House of Tata, he has served in several Tata Companies in various capacities. Prior to 1998 he was the Managing Director of Tata Global Beverages Co. Ltd., Chairman of Tata Coffee and Vice Chairman of The Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. He was also a Director of several Tata companies. He was Chairman of Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He was a member of the Governing Council of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research until recently. Mr. Krishna Kumar played a major role in the acquisition and integration of well-known foreign companies such as Tetley Tea - UK, Eight O’Clock Coffee – US and Grand Tea & Coffee – Russia, as part of globalization of the Tata Group. The acquisition of Tetley Tea, three times the size of Tata Tea, was India’s first trans-border acquisition in the Corporate sector. Mr. Krishna Kumar was closely involved with the execution of the project – Tata Medical Center, a major cancer treatment hospital in Kolkata. He is currently a Trustee on the Boards of Tata Trusts and is actively involved in key areas of social concern. One of Mr. R. K. Krishna Kumar’s key facets is his involvement in the Tata Group’s efforts towards nation building. He is a Trustee of various Trusts including Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Sir Dorabji Tata and the Tata Education and Development Trust.
Mr. G. Narayana Chairman Emeritus, Excel Industries Limited
Guruji Shri G. Narayana is the Chairman Emeritus of Excel Industries Limited, formerly Chairman and Director of several companies and a Mentor, Contributor, Educator and Trainer in the spirit of Leadership and Management. He is a mentor to several chief executives, executives, lecturers, students, corporations, management institutions, universities, colleges, schools, and social, spiritual and voluntary organizations. He has adopted a missionary life of contributing and assisting several people to experience their inner light and potential, and for promoting peace and harmony amongst different people and groups.
He is the author of more than 600 books and articles on 108 Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Tao, Zen, Holy Bible, Holy Quran, Dhammapada, Yoga Sutras, Bhakti Sutras, Management, Education, Leadership and Life and Spirituality. Most of these books are published by the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA). Presently he invests his time and endeavours voluntarily in the service of Education, Industry, Leadership Development, Writing and Sri Sitarama Seva Sadan, a trust which contributes in the areas of caring for elders, education, water management, women entrepreneurship, health, environment and other social causes.