The Valedictory Session of the National Conference & Exhibition on Leveraging CSR Excellence for Tribal Development, concluded on 7^th October 2025 at New Delhi. The event was organised by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India. The event strongly emphasised on collaboration, innovation, and inclusive development as key pillars for advancing tribal welfare through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The two-day national conference, held to mark the 2nd Annual CSR Day in India commemorating the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, brought together over 400 delegates from government, industry, academia, and civil society to deliberate on aligning CSR strategies with national priorities for tribal development and sustainable livelihoods.

The valedictory evening commenced with a cultural performance with the support of celebrating India’s tribal heritage, symbolizing the strength of indigenous traditions and their role in shaping sustainable futures.

Delivering his Special Address, Shri K. Moses Chalai, Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Government of India, urged Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) to enhance engagement with tribal communities through long-term, sustainable CSR initiatives. He emphasized the importance of skill development, entrepreneurship, and digital inclusion as enablers of self-reliant tribal economies in line with Viksit Bharat 2047. Shri Chalai highlighted DPE guidelines on CSR spending, calling for clear objectives, measurable targets, and defined milestones to ensure tangible social and environmental impact. He also stressed effective planning, monitoring, and outcome evaluation, and encouraged CPSEs to collaborate with state and district administrations, corporates, and civil society. He concluded by urging stakeholders to pursue the tribal development mission with renewed commitment and urgency, making CSR a catalyst for inclusive national growth.

In her Valedictory Address, Smt. Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, commended IICA for curating a collaborative platform bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and community practitioners to advance tribal development. She proposed the creation of an interactive digital platform (revamped CSR Exchange) to facilitate convergence between government and corporate efforts, enabling project mapping, identification of collaboration opportunities, and sharing of best practices and impact stories. She invited volunteers to contribute to the platform’s redesign and strengthening.

Ms. Mukherjee emphasized that community participation is central to the long-term sustainability of CSR initiatives, urging practitioners to involve communities from project design through implementation, strengthen local leadership, and promote participatory, community-owned models. Highlighting the potential of tribal communities, she called for prioritizing tribal leadership, self-reliance, and culturally sensitive approaches.

Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General & CEO of IICA, elaborated on the conference theme, underscoring the importance of data-driven and outcome-oriented CSR that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He emphasized that CSR should go beyond financial contributions to focus on delivering technological and managerial expertise, ensuring that activities take precedence over fund-based routing. Shri Singh pointed out that certain regions, particularly the North East, continue to receive limited CSR funding and called for more geographically balanced and need-based interventions. He highlighted the importance of community capacity building and the adoption of AI and analytics for real-time monitoring, along with stronger government–corporate collaboration to drive sustainable, long-term impact. He further urged greater investment in research and innovation, with active private sector participation to enhance efficiency and tackle pressing societal challenges. Shri Singh advocated for a convergence framework that brings together multiple stakeholders to design impactful CSR initiatives contributing to Viksit Bharat 2047.

Mr. Bo Beiskjaer, Chief – Resource Mobilization & Partnerships, UNICEF India, underscored that CSR is a transformational tool rather than a charitable contribution, linking tribal development with human rights and children’s rights. He highlighted the need for collaborative, co-created solutions among corporates, government, and civil society, emphasizing UNICEF’s commitment to improving health, education, and employability outcomes for tribal children. Mr. Beiskjaer stressed that CSR initiatives must uphold dignity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring measurable contributions toward building an inclusive and developed India.

Dr. Garima Dadhich, Head, School of Business Environment at IICA, presented a session-wise report emphasizing that CSR should become a strategic, data-driven, and technology-integrated tool for tribal empowerment. She advocated for consultative project design that respects socio-cultural contexts, supports traditional crafts and GI-tagged products to ensure long term impact. 

While delivering vote of thanks, Dr. Dadhich acknowledged the support of Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, and Department of Public Enterprises, lead partner HCL Foundation, exhibition partner TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited), other partners GAIL (India) Ltd., Partners in Change, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, UNICEF, Spark Minda Foundation, 34 exhibitors, all participants and IICA core organising team.

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NB/AD