Chennai hosts sustainability summit where Dr. Soumya Swaminathan announces project to transform Keyi Panyor into India’s first Bio-Happiness district
Soumya Swaminathan Inaugurates The Hindu Sustainability Dialogues
Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and Principal Advisor of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), inaugurated ‘The Hindu Sustainability Dialogues’. This one-day summit took place at Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences in Chennai on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
The Hindu Sustainability Dialogues, in partnership with Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), gathered leading academics, subject matter experts, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to discuss sustainability.
During the event at Saveetha Medical College, Thandalam, Chennai, Dr. Sowmya Swaminathan was honored by L.V. Navaneeth, CEO of The Hindu Group, and N.M. Veeraiyan, Founder and Chancellor of SIMATS.
In her keynote address, Ms. Swaminathan announced that the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation will revive the concept of Bio-Happiness, a term created by the late M.S. Swaminathan, in his centenary year. She mentioned that a project has started to transform the newest district of Keyi Panyor in Arunachal Pradesh into India’s first Bio-Happiness district.
She also noted that traditional AI excels in image recognition and can enhance existing app-based plant clinics. Generative AI may be beneficial in various fields, but caution is necessary to prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation, especially deepfakes, Dr. Swaminathan added.
| Event | Date | Location | Keynote Speaker | Project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hindu Sustainability Dialogues | January 6, 2026 | Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai | Soumya Swaminathan | Bio-Happiness district in Keyi Panyor, Arunachal Pradesh |
