Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 30 May: The Indo–Icelandic Business Association chose two women to be part of the delegation to the Icelandic counties, an opportunity to explore potential collaborations and replicable models. The talks revolved around agriculture, green technology, innovation, and sustainable development. The two women entrepreneurs Kiran Bhatt Todaria and Wg Cdr Anupama Joshi ( Retd) explored work in their respective fields.
In an increasingly interconnected world, some professionals choose to work across sectors, creating unique pathways that combine economic development, sustainability, and international collaboration. Kiran Bhatt Todaria a woman entrepreneur and professional who has built her interests around two dynamic fields—tourism and geothermal energy—while actively exploring opportunities to collaborate with Icelandic countries.
Her work has focused on promoting adventure tourism, encouraging responsible travel, and creating experiences that connect people with local heritage, nature, and communities. She believes that tourism, when developed thoughtfully, can become a powerful driver of economic growth while preserving cultural and environmental assets.
Kiran has been working in hydropower sector and explored the possibility of collaboration in renewable energy, particularly geothermal power. Recognising the growing global demand for clean and reliable energy sources, geothermal energy and its ability to provide continuous, sustainable power make it especially attractive for regions like Uttarakhand.
She is exploring avenues overseas where these interests can converge. By engaging with international partners, she hopes to identify opportunities that support both sustainable tourism and renewable energy development. Kiran explored opportunities with the Icelandic countries with renewed interest, especially following the India EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership (TEPA) which will open new avenues.
Following her military service, Wg Cdr Anupama transitioned into development sectors with a stint in education. She is actively involved in the agricultural value chain sector, working to strengthen linkages between farmers, markets, technology providers, and consumers. She works to create sustainable and inclusive systems that enhance rural livelihoods, improve productivity, and promote environmentally responsible practices. It is recognised that agriculture remains a cornerstone of economic growth and food security, particularly in developing economies.
Drawing upon her diverse professional experience, she is now exploring opportunities for international collaboration, particularly with Norway and Iceland, renowned for their innovation, sustainability and responsible resource management. She sees significant potential for partnerships in areas such as sustainable agriculture, climate-resilient farming, agri-technology, rural entrepreneurship, and knowledge exchange.
The Trade and Economic Partnership (TEPA) helps to explores avenues for cooperation with Norway and Iceland and bring together expertise from different regions to address shared global challenges , the delegation of IIBA is working in this direction and the idea were to explore for collaboration specifically for hills of Uttrakhand.
