Santosh Pulletykurty, founder-president of Ken Foundation Society, is on cloud nine these days as he is embarking on a maiden foreign trip as the sole representative of India in the forthcoming International Visitors Leadership Programme.
After getting nominated by the U.S. Consulate, Hyderabad, he has been selected for the most coveted professional exchange programme by the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi.
Best opportunity
Terming it as the best opportunity ever, Mr. Santosh told The Hindu that it was setting a new standard for him to raise the bar.
“The annual beach clean-up drive that we have been organising for the last five consecutive years drew huge participation. In addition to this, a number of awareness programmes on environment and marine protection helped me grab this rare opportunity. The forum will help me improve leadership qualities as we will be meeting international representatives from across the globe,” says a visibly excited Santosh.
As part of the three-week-long sponsored foreign itinerary, Mr. Santosh will be flying to Washington DC, California, San Diego, Boston and Texas.
“A total of 14 participants from 13 countries have been selected for the programme. The agenda is to address coastal and marine management issues, provide sustainable solutions and share best technical strategies,” he says.
The international trip, scheduled from May 23 to June 10, is aimed at examining, through panel discussions, key environmental problems impacting pollution and atmospheric emissions.
Policy framework
“In the end, we will be developing a policy framework for coastal zone management and climate change adaptation. This way, we can share best practices and carry out our future projects more effectively,” sums up Santosh.
The international trip is aimed at examining key environmental problems
