The National CSR Summit 2026, organized by the AROH Foundation, concluded successfully today at the India International Centre in New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, corporate leaders, development practitioners, and multilateral agencies to deliberate on strengthening India’s Corporate Social Responsibility ecosystem.
The Summit was held under the theme, “Aligning for Last-Mile Impact: Community | Collaboration | Convergence”, focusing on how CSR initiatives can accelerate inclusive development and contribute meaningfully to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat.
Shri 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 Shri Anand Kumar Bolimera (Habitat for Humanity India), Shri Indrajit Chaudhuri (PCI India), Dr. Ajay Khera (EngenderHealth), Smt. Marie-Claude Desilets (UNICEF India), Dr. Arindam Ray (Gates Foundation), Shri Rakesh Katal (Welthungerhilfe), and Smt. Sucharita Dutta (Evidence Action). Other key participants were Shri Anand Kumar Kadali (Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust), Shri Puneet Bali (Smile Foundation), Shri Manmohan Singh (Piramal Foundation), Shri Tushar Sud (Swades Foundation), and Shri Ashish Srivastava (HDFC Parivartan).
Additional leaders included Shri Binu Nair (Bharti Airtel Foundation), Shri P. N. Nayak (Deshpande Educational Trust), Shri Akhil Paliath (CIFF), Shri Uttam Lal (NHPC), Smt. Seema Rajput (Language and Learning Foundation), Dr. Ashish Chaturvedi (UNDP India), Dr. Rachna Arora (GIZ India), Shri Aniruddha Brahmachari (Digital Green India), Shri Samir Mirza (The Nature Conservancy), and Shri 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.
