The summit brought together policymakers, corporate leaders, development practitioners, and multilateral agencies to strengthen CSR-driven last-mile development in India.
NEW DELHI (India CSR): A CSR Summit organized by AROH Foundation at the India International Centre in New Delhi on 16 March 2026, brought together policymakers, corporate leaders, development practitioners, and multilateral agencies to strengthen India’s Corporate Social Responsibility ecosystem. Held under the theme “Aligning for Last-Mile Impact: Community | Collaboration | Convergence,” the summit focused on how CSR can accelerate inclusive development, support aspirational districts and tribal regions, and contribute meaningfully to the vision of Viksit Bharat. Through keynote addresses, policy discussions, and field-based case studies, the event highlighted the growing importance of partnerships in scaling sustainable and impactful development models across the country.
Lumba Ram Choudhary, MP, inaugurated the Summit and emphasized the importance of corporate participation in addressing development challenges across aspirational districts and tribal regions. Keynote insights were shared by Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Arjan de Wagt, Dr. Jeevan Kumar Jethani, and Dr. Neelam Gupta.
Speaking at the session, Dr. Neelam Gupta, Founder and CEO of AROH Foundation, said, “The Summit is a platform to foster dialogue and partnerships that strengthen India’s development ecosystem. We look forward to deeper engagement and collaborative initiatives to scale impactful CSR models across the country.”
The discussions began with a panel moderated by Smt. Gayatri Subramaniam, a CSR policy expert. The panel featured Dr. Madhukar Gupta, Former Additional Secretary, Government of India; Dr. Jeevan Kumar Jethani, Senior Director at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; Smt. A. Srija, Economic Adviser at the Ministry of Education; and Shri Bibhuti Ranjan Pradhan, Executive Director (CSR) at Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. They shared their views on key policy priorities and the growing role of CSR in supporting national development. Senior representatives from leading organizations shared insights and field experiences at the summit.
Speakers included Anand Kumar Bolimera (Habitat for Humanity India), Indrajit Chaudhuri (PCI India), Dr. Ajay Khera (EngenderHealth), Smt. Marie-Claude Desilets (UNICEF India), Dr. Arindam Ray (Gates Foundation), Rakesh Katal (Welthungerhilfe), and Smt. Sucharita Dutta (Evidence Action). Other key participants were Anand Kumar Kadali (Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust), Puneet Bali (Smile Foundation), Shri Manmohan Singh (Piramal Foundation), Shri Tushar Sud (Swades Foundation), and Shri Ashish Srivastava (HDFC Parivartan).
Additional leaders included Binu Nair (Bharti Airtel Foundation), P. N. Nayak (Deshpande Educational Trust), Akhil Paliath (CIFF), Shri Uttam Lal (NHPC), Smt. Seema Rajput (Language and Learning Foundation), Dr. Ashish Chaturvedi (UNDP India), Dr. Rachna Arora (GIZ India), Aniruddha Brahmachari (Digital Green India), Samir Mirza (The Nature Conservancy), and Arjun Shanker (World Food Programme). They discussed policy priorities, innovative programs, and impactful case studies from the field. Representatives from collaborative partner organizations, including STEM Learning, Habitat for Humanity India, PCI India, bVokal, and Powergrid, were also present and played a vital role in contributing to the success of the summit.
(India CSR)
