The 11th National Rubber Conference (NRC) was held on January 22-23, 2025, at Rangmanch, Raajkutir, Swabhumi, organized by All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) - Eastern Region (ER).
Centered on the theme "Expanding Frontiers - Tapping Opportunities", the event featured insightful discussions and networking that will go on to shape the future of the non-tyre rubber industry in Eastern Region, particularly in West Bengal.
The goal of this Conference is to keep Indian rubber industry stakeholders informed on global trends, enabling strategic decision making for growth. With policy reforms and ease of doing business, India's rubber sector is poised for expansion. The Conference featured esteemed academicians from IIT Kharagpur, IRMRI (Indian Rubber Materials Research Institute), DGQA, DRDO and industry experts who presented insightful papers. Technical and non-technical speakers shared valuable expertise, benefiting stakeholders in the Indian rubber industry.
The Conference was honoured by the Chief Guest, Dr. Shashi Panja, Hon'ble Minister for Industries, Commerce & Enterprises and Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal.
The Special Guest, Shri Rajesh Pandey, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of MSME & Textile, Govt. of West Bengal had to reschedule at the last minute owing to his occupation with the imminent Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), but sent in his best wishes to the Team along with his goodwill message that was displayed at the Inaugural Session of the Conference. Under the leadership of AIRIA's youngest ever Chairman and Convener, Mr. Vishal Bagaria, the Co-Conveners - Mr. Sharad Kumar Seth, Mr. Aayush Kejriwal, and Mr. Aditya Poddar (Event Management & Hospitality) - with the entire team, the Conference turned out to be a mega success in terms of knowledge-sharing and critical networking for the attendees.
The Conference had an overwhelming response with more than 250 participants. Following the National Anthem, a moment of silence was observed in honour of fraternity members who passed away in the past year, paying tribute to their contributions before commencing the program.
The event was inaugurated with the traditional Lamp Lighting by the Chief Guest, Dr. Shashi Panja accompanied by Mr. Shashi Singh (President, AIRIA), Mr. Anay Gupta (Sr. Vice President, AIRIA), Mr. K. Ganesh (Vice President, AIRIA), Mr. Vishal Bagaria (Chairman-AIRIA ER & Convener-NRC 2024) and Mr. Kamlesh Jain (Member, Managing Committee-AIRIA).
The Conference concluded with a wish to treasure warm handholding from the Rubber Fraternity for a more spectacular event in the coming days and other future endeavors.