South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity (SARIC)

SARIC hosted an alumini networking event on may 6th, in New Delhi.

The guests included visiting officials from Canberra, Steven Barraclough, Assistant Secretary of the Mainland South and Central Asia Branch, and Ishara Davey, Assistant Director of the South and Central Asia Development Section, from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade amongst other SARIC program partners – World Bank, International Finance Corporation, Palladium and Adam Smith International. The event also saw participation from the Australian High Commission in New Delhi.

Steven’s opening remarks highlighted the mention of SARIC by Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong at the Indian Ocean Conference earlier this year. Steven, in his address, stressed on the importance and economic relevance of regional connectivity in the South Asian Region.

The alumni networking event focused on reflections and experiences of mentors and SARIC training participants. These included Tripta Thakur, Director General, National Power Training Institute and Mini Thomas, Dean, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Jamia Milia Islamia, who were course mentors for the SAR 100 program, an impactful training program which trained 101 women engineers across 7 South Asian countries in the power sector.

Engaging discussions were held on the invaluable professional and personal growth experienced through the training programs. Attendees shared insights and experiences on how they applied their learnings in their respective workplaces, highlighting the effectiveness of applying the training program’s learnings in workplace and the network of peers they were building across South Asia in the infrastructure sector.

Chintan Sher, Executive Engineer with Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd and an alumna of SAR100 Program shared how the training experience came as a breath of fresh to her after 19 years of work with state government. She reflected on the women and leadership module of the program which has helped her grow as a successful and contributing team member in her organisation.

Awdhesh Kumar Yadav, Chief (Engineering) at Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and an alum of Regional Power Markets training, that was held in Hobart and Melbourne, shared that networking with counterparts from South Asia and Australia enhanced his knowledge on the latest developments and areas for improvement in the wind and solar energy sectors, first hand.

We are thrilled to see this vibrant network of energy and infrastructure professionals flourishing across South Asia through SARIC, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.