A three-day training programme on eco-social agripreneurship got underway on Wednesday at the Rani campus of Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU) in Guwahati, bringing together participants from across the Northeast to explore sustainable agriculture and rural entrepreneurship.
The programme was organised by the Vocational and Skill Development Centre under the Guru Prasad School of Interdisciplinary and Vocational Studies (GPDSoIVS).
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The inaugural session drew several prominent figures from academia and the banking sector.
KKHSOU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rajendra Prasad Das attended, along with Loken Das, Chief General Manager of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD); Prof. Pranab Saikia, Registrar of KKHSOU; and Dr. Gobinda Deka, Director of GPDSoIVS.
The session was coordinated by Dr. Sarmistha Rani Baruah, Assistant Professor at GPDSoIVS.
Renowned farmer and KKHSOU Professor of Practice Samir Bordoloi serves as the key resource person for the training.
Bordoloi outlined the programme's central vision — creating what he described as "green commandos," or eco-social entrepreneurs equipped to lead change in their communities.
He stressed the importance of living in harmony with nature, and highlighted practices such as organic farming, resource conservation, and biodiversity protection as cornerstones of that vision.
Registrar Prof. Pranab Saikia spoke about the role of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in making skill-based education more accessible, noting that programmes like this help close the gap between academic learning and real-world employability.
NABARD's Loken Das praised the university's initiative, commending its focus on innovation and sustainability in agriculture.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rajendra Prasad Das described the training as a catalyst for long-term transformation, calling on participants to embrace organic farming and go on to become environmentally conscious entrepreneurs and community change-makers.