EVENTS

Abstract

South East Asia has long been an area of confluence for the great Indic and Sinic Cultures. During the last half century, it has seen emergence of competition for economic, geo-political and military dominance by China. However SE Asia is a complex region with growing national consciousness where India is increasingly seen as a partner. However building upon this partnership requires India to address the pressing issues in its North East and recognize the centrality of its relations with immediate neighbours- Bangladesh and Myanmar.

About the Speaker

Mr. Jitesh Khosla is a retired IAS officer of the 1979 Batch of the Assam–Meghalaya Cadre. He retired from service in 2015 as Chief Secretary, Assam. He has served both with the Central Government and the State Governments of Assam and Meghalaya over a career spanning 36 years.  After retirement from the civil service, he has been associated with public policy interactions relating to the North East, including at the National Defence College and the Department of Science and Technology to extend technology applications in the North East. In addition he is also involved in several initiatives related to Corporate Law & Governance, Renewable Energy and Sustainability both in the corporate context and in general. During 2009-11, on being so tasked by the Central Government, Mr Khosla set up the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs as an institution of excellence for capacity building in corporate regulation and a policy think tank for the Government in corporate matters. In addition to the IICA, Mr Khosla set up several institutions at the state level such as the Assam Water Research and Management Institute, the Assam Road Research and Training Institute, the Tribal Research Institute et. He was also the Chairman of the Assam Management Institute and was instrumental in establishing its present campus. Mr. Khosla is an alumnus of the Punjab Engineering College (B.Tech), IIT Delhi (M.Tech), London School of Economics (Social Planning and Policy 1993) and Harvard University (Privatisation, 1994 and Leadership, 2014). He is also a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Administration and the National Award for e-Governance 2007-2008 among others.