Dibrugarh, Mar 24 (IANS): The G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Conference was held in Assam's Dibrugarh town on Friday.

Delegates from G20 member countries, guest countries, and international organisations, as well as the scientific community, gathered to discuss and explore ways to build a sustainable and circular bio-economy.

A total of 103 participants, with 56 foreign delegates from 26 countries were present at the conference, a statement noted.

S. Chandrasekhar, Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, emphasised that the G20 RIIG conclave is dedicated to promoting a sustainable future by educating the public on the importance of zero waste management, and "the goal of this gathering was to frame the conversation beautifully and inspire people to take action towards reducing waste and preserving our planet".

"The interactive event aimed to facilitate active engagement among all key stakeholders, including people, policies, and places. This was done to promote an inclusive policy-making approach that provides a conceptual framework to mainstream circular bio-economy models across different sectors," he said.

By promoting collaborations and partnerships among G20 members and stakeholders, the conference aims to strengthen global efforts towards a more sustainable and circular bio-economy, Chandrasekhar added.

He further mentioned that the conference aimed to bring together key factors responsible for planning, setting up new programs and managing the existing programs related to agriculture, de-carbonisation of industry, bio-energy, and bio-resource management.

Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology stated that the aim of the conference was to bring together key actors responsible for planning, setting up new programmes, and managing existing programs related to agriculture, de-carbonisation of industry, bio-energy, and bio-resource management.

The conference was divided into four sessions, which included Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities, Industry towards Decarbonisation, Bio-Energy, and Bio-resource Management.