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  • IFAD launches transformative India rural development roadmap worth USD 4.2 billion

    IFAD launches transformative India rural development roadmap worth USD 4.2 billion

    The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of India have launched a transformative eight-year rural development strategy, committing to scale investment, strengthen climate resilience and accelerate inclusive agricultural growth across the country’s vast rural economies.

    The new Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) 2026–2033 was unveiled at the IFAD–India Partnership for Rural Prosperity event held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on April 12, bringing together senior government representatives, IFAD leadership, development partners and private sector actors.

    The strategy sets two core objectives: enhancing the social, economic and climatic resilience of rural communities; and strengthening knowledge systems to scale proven models domestically and share them across the Global South.

    The announcement marks a pivotal expansion of one of IFAD’s largest country partnerships. Across 35 projects, USD 1.36 billion in IFAD financing has mobilised more than twice as much from partners, for a total investment of USD 4.2 billion.

    A senior IFAD delegation led by Associate Vice-President Donal Brown held talks with officials from India’s Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Ministry of Rural Development. Discussions covered smallholder support, digital agriculture, climate-resilient crops such as millets, and expanding farmer producer organisations.

    Brown said the partnership goes beyond individual projects and focuses on building systems that connect institutions, finance, infrastructure and markets for long-term rural development, IFAD said in a statement.

    The strategy places significant emphasis on strengthening grassroots institutions including self-help groups, farmer producer organisations and cooperatives, expected to play a key role in linking finance, technology, infrastructure and markets.

    On the financing front, IFAD signed a strategic partnership with NABARD on the sidelines of the event to expand rural finance and innovation. NABARD Chairman Shaji K V said the two institutions share a conviction that rural financial systems work best when built from the community up. International Fund for Agricultural Development

    The new strategy also positions India as a knowledge leader in rural development, with plans to share successful models in digital agriculture, inclusive rural finance and climate-resilient value chains with partner countries across Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

    The IFAD delegation also undertook field visits to Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district to review community-led initiatives under the Meghalaya Livelihoods and Access to Markets Project, and held talks with Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on future agricultural cooperation.

    India and IFAD have partnered for nearly 48 years, financing 35 rural development projects worth approximately USD 4.2 billion, with six ongoing projects focused on market linkages, climate-resilient agriculture and training programmes.

    “India is not only transforming its own rural economy — it is generating solutions that are relevant globally,” said Reehana Raza, IFAD Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.

  • KCG, Urbaser sign moU for waste management drive

    KCG, Urbaser sign moU for waste management drive

    KCG College of Technology, a unit of the Hindustan Group of Institutions, has signed a transformative Memorandum of Understanding with Sumeet Urban Services (Chennai) V Pvt Ltd, known as Urbaser Sumeet, to deepen industry-academia collaboration in waste management, sustainability and skill development.

    The partnership aims to build a long-term, industry-integrated sustainability model that directly engages students in solving real-world urban environmental challenges across Chennai.

    Under the agreement, students will participate in clean-up drives, waste management awareness campaigns, sustainability workshops, internships and innovation challenges. The collaboration will also cover hackathons, practical training and professional certification programmes focused on circular economy practices and environmental sustainability.

    A key initiative under the MoU is “Edubridge,” a programme designed to support the education and empowerment of children of frontline conservancy workers — a measure both institutions described as central to social inclusion and community impact.

    Urbaser Sumeet will also serve as the hygiene partner for major institutional events at KCG, demonstrating best practices in source segregation, solid waste management and urban cleanliness systems.

    “Engineering education today must go beyond laboratories and classrooms,” said Anand Jacob Varghese, Chairman, Hindustan Group of Institutions. “When our students walk alongside conservancy workers, manage waste drives and design recycling solutions for their own city, they are not just learning — they are becoming the kind of engineers and citizens Chennai needs.”

    Annie Jacob, Director of KCG College of Technology, said embedding Urbaser Sumeet’s operational expertise into campus programmes would give students direct exposure to one of Chennai’s most critical urban services. “From internships in waste vehicle operations to the Edubridge initiative, this collaboration is built around real impact — not just awareness,” she said.

    Albert Gleiser Ignacio, Managing Director of Urbaser Sumeet, said lasting change in urban waste management begins with how the next generation thinks about it. “Partnering with KCG gives us the opportunity to bring that ground reality into an academic setting and build a pipeline of professionals genuinely invested in sustainable urban systems,” he said.

    The partnership is expected to generate research-oriented projects in waste segregation, recycling systems, circular economy models and smart urban sustainability solutions. Both organisations said they intend to develop a scalable and replicable model for sustainable campus-community partnerships.

    The collaboration promotes the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and seeks to foster environmentally conscious practices across the student community and beyond.

  • Gates, Wadhwani sign MoU for India Innovation Network

    Gates, Wadhwani sign MoU for India Innovation Network

    Wadhwani Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate India’s push from laboratory research to commercial deployment, backing a national-scale programme called the National Innovation Network (NIN).

    The partnership targets translational research in health, nutrition, biotechnology, genomics and medical technology — sectors the Indian government has identified as national development priorities.

    Under the agreement, the Gates Foundation will fund five NIN Centres of Excellence over five years, with two centres receiving support in the current year. The centres will help researchers move innovations past the laboratory stage toward real-world applications, covering prototyping, validation, pilot deployments, intellectual property management and venture creation.

    The India Innovation Network builds on the Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29, 2025. Since its debut, WIN has backed more than 50 high-potential projects spanning healthtech, medtech, biotechnology and quantum technologies, establishing research hubs at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, IIT(ISM) Dhanbad, the Indian Institute of Science and C-CAMP.

    Two flagship “Super Hubs” are under development: the Wadhwani School of AI & Intelligent Systems at IIT Kanpur and the Wadhwani Health & Bio Hub at IIT Bombay.

    “WIN has demonstrated that India’s innovation potential can be unlocked when researchers, institutions, industry and capital come together with a shared mission,” said Ajay Kela, Chief Executive and Board Member of Wadhwani Foundation. “Through NIN, we now have the opportunity to democratize innovation across India and help position the country as a global leader.”

    Archna Vyas, Director of the Gates Foundation’s India Country Office, said the most consequential health and nutrition breakthroughs of the next decade would likely originate in Indian institutions. “Our collaboration with Wadhwani Foundation will help support the opportunity for these innovations by investing in translational pathways,” she said.

    NIN aims to establish more than 250 Centres of Excellence across India within three to five years, drawing participation from government agencies, corporate partners, philanthropies and academic institutions under a shared governance framework managed by the Wadhwani Foundation.

    The network’s longer-term targets include translating thousands of innovations annually from research settings to market-ready products, with projected impact across millions of jobs and livelihoods.

  • Ambuja Foundation launches skill development institute in Modinagar

    Ambuja Foundation launches skill development institute in Modinagar

    Ambuja Foundation and Kanohar Electricals Limited have partnered to launch a Skill Development Institute in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, aiming to empower more than 1,000 rural youth over the next three years with employment-oriented training.

    Located in Ghaziabad district and strategically close to the expanding Delhi NCR economic hub, the institute targets villages around Saunda where educated youth face high unemployment and underemployment despite completing secondary school or graduation. A field assessment by Ambuja Foundation highlighted a critical gap in industry-relevant technical skills and practical exposure.

    The initiative, rooted in the native village of Kanohar Electricals Limited founder Shri Kanohar Lal Singhal, will offer structured courses including Phlebotomy, General Duty Assistant, OT Assistance, Customer Care, and Microfinance. Participants will also receive soft skills, IT training, on-the-job training, work readiness, financial literacy, and occupational health and safety modules.

    “With the growing demand for a skilled workforce, this Skill Development Institute in Modinagar will bridge the skills gap and equip youth with industry-relevant capabilities,” said Pearl Tiwari, CEO, Ambuja Foundation. “Through this partnership with Kanohar Electricals Limited, we aim to empower rural youth with the confidence and opportunities needed for sustainable careers.”

    Dinesh Singhal, Chairman and Managing Director of Kanohar Electricals Limited, added: “Investing in skills development is essential for inclusive economic growth. This collaboration will transform livelihood prospects for young people in rural Uttar Pradesh.”

    The three-year programme is expected to connect trainees with job opportunities across the NCR region, supporting reduced unemployment, higher household incomes, and greater economic mobility.

  • Standard Chartered launches breakthrough Rs 540 Cr SLTF

    Standard Chartered launches breakthrough Rs 540 Cr SLTF

    Standard Chartered Bank has extended a breakthrough Sustainability-Linked Trade Facility (SLTF) worth Rs 540 crore to Indorama India Private Limited, the bank announced on Wednesday, in a move that deepens its push to embed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into corporate financing across South Asia.

    The facility, structured as a sustainability-linked trade and working capital arrangement, ties its financing terms directly to Indorama India’s achievement of clearly defined Sustainability Performance Targets (SPTs) aligned with the company’s broader ESG framework. The structure is designed to financially incentivise measurable progress on sustainability, rather than treating ESG commitments as aspirational.

    “We are pleased to partner with Indorama India in supporting its sustainability journey through this tailored SLTF,” said Angel Sivan, Regional Head of Transaction Banking Corporate Sales, India and South Asia, Standard Chartered. “By integrating ESG-linked targets into the deal structure, we are enabling our clients to align their growth with more responsible business practices.”

    Manish Kumar Agarwal, Chief Financial Officer of Indorama India, called the deal a reflection of the company’s resolve to mainstream sustainability into its core financing activities. “This strengthens our liquidity position and reinforces our dedication to ESG principles,” he said, adding that the company intends to build on the momentum toward a broader sustainable finance agenda.

    The transaction adds to a growing pipeline of sustainability-linked financing deals in India, as corporates and lenders seek to operationalise ESG commitments through binding financial mechanisms rather than voluntary pledges.

    Standard Chartered, which has maintained a continuous presence in India for over 165 years, operates across Corporate and Investment Banking and Wealth and Retail Banking segments through an extensive branch network covering major cities.
    Globally, the London- and Hong Kong-listed bank operates in 54 markets.

  • MakeMyTrip to transform Dilli Haat INA renovation with DTTDC pact

    MakeMyTrip to transform Dilli Haat INA renovation with DTTDC pact

    MakeMyTrip Foundation, the social impact arm of India’s largest online travel company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) to transform the Dilli Haat INA renovation — upgrading infrastructure at one of the capital’s most iconic open-air cultural markets.

    The partnership targets three key areas at the 30-year-old craft bazaar: greener landscaping, upgraded promenade lighting to extend evening footfall, and hygiene improvements to washroom facilities — changes designed to serve the hundreds of artisans from across India who depend on the haat as a primary marketplace.

    The announcement aligns with Delhi’s broader push to develop a night-time tourism economy.

    “Dilli Haat-INA is a perfect example of an evening destination that supports our vision,” said Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister of Delhi, adding that the government is committed to positioning Delhi as a leading global destination.

    “We are also focused on building a strong night tourism economy that allows visitors to experience the city well beyond sundown.”

    Art, Culture and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra described the market as a meeting point between artisans who bring crafts from across the country and visitors who come to experience India’s heritage.

    “Collaborations like this one with MakeMyTrip Foundation help us deliver tangible improvements on the ground,” Mishra said.

    DTTDC Managing Director Suneel Anchipaka, IAS, said improved lighting would be critical as Delhi scales its evening tourism offering, making the haat more inviting for families well into the night.

    For MakeMyTrip Foundation, the Dilli Haat INA renovation marks a first step into urban cultural tourism, following a decade of work in afforestation, mangrove plantation along the Gujarat coast, and community-based tourism in the Himalayas.

    “Our aim here is not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to contribute to making this space more sustainable,” said Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip and Managing Trustee of the Foundation.

    Dilli Haat-INA, located in south Delhi’s INA colony, has operated for over three decades as a permanent crafts fair hosting artisans from every state, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

  • Lava deploys 20,941 MDM-enabled smartphones for anganwadi digital empowerment in UP

    Lava deploys 20,941 MDM-enabled smartphones for anganwadi digital empowerment in UP

    Lava International Limited has partnered with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to deliver Lava smartphones to 20,941 Anganwadi workers statewide, a transforming rollout under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) framework aimed at replacing manual record-keeping with real-time, data-driven service delivery at the grassroots level.

    The handover ceremony was held at Lok Bhavan, Lucknow in March 2026, under the theme “Suposhit Uttar Pradesh, Sashakt Bharat” — Nourished Uttar Pradesh, Empowered India.

    UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath presided over the event alongside Women’s Welfare Minister Baby Rani Maurya, Additional Chief Secretary Leena Johri, and WCD Director Sarneet Kaur Broca. Approximately 1,000 Anganwadi workers attended in person.

    Lava supplied handsets from its Storm Play series, factory-configured for field deployment with Mobile Device Management (MDM) capabilities, a supervisor monitoring application, and state-specific interface integrations aligned to WCD and ICDS digital systems.

    The Anganwadi digital empowerment initiative enables workers to record maternal and child health data in real time, track attendance digitally, monitor nutrition distribution for newborns and lactating mothers, and feed information directly into centralised dashboards.

    “Digital transformation at the grassroots is not just about access to devices, but about building systems that work reliably at scale for those delivering essential services on a day-to-day basis. This initiative is a testament of our ability to design and deliver technology solutions tailored for real-world public sector needs,” said Llyod D’souza, Chief Business Officer, Enterprise Business, Lava International Limited.

    The deployment directly addresses longstanding bottlenecks in welfare delivery. Supervisors can now remotely monitor field activity, track stock availability of food packets for at-risk households, and receive early alerts on potential health and nutrition risks — capabilities previously dependent on paper-based reporting cycles.

    Officials said the initiative supports the UP government’s broader ambition to bridge the digital divide through scalable, technology-led interventions and strengthen last-mile delivery of public welfare programmes.

    For Lava, the contract extends a record of enterprise public-sector deployments as the company positions itself as a domestic alternative in India’s government mobility procurement market.

  • Toyota Kirloskar’s CSR hygiene programme did what Swachh Bharat couldn’t

    Toyota Kirloskar’s CSR hygiene programme did what Swachh Bharat couldn’t

    When Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) built toilets in Karnataka village schools nearly a decade ago, it discovered a problem it had not anticipated: nobody was using them.

    Root cause analysis revealed why communities held a deeply ingrained belief that an in-compound toilet was unclean. Going outdoors, they maintained, was the healthier option.

    The finding prompted TKM to stop further construction and redirect its corporate social responsibility effort toward behavioural change, launching what would become the ABCD — A Behavioural Change Demonstration — programme in 2015-16.

    The initiative has since reached 6,69,322 students, teachers and community members across 1,300 government schools in Karnataka and drawn recognition from Harvard Business School, which has featured it as a case study.

    The programme’s early breakthrough came from an unexpected quarter, TKM Country Head and Executive Vice President (corporate affairs and governance) Vikram Gulati told PTI.

    In one Ramanagara village, two girls aged approximately 11 and 12 organised a classmate hunger strike, refusing to eat until their families built home toilets. The strike succeeded.

    “This actually led to the first breakthrough,” Gulati said.

    The programme trained children in handwashing technique, toilet use and personal hygiene, positioning them as agents of behavioural change within their households and wider communities. Schools competed on hygiene standards. Children carried lessons home. The ripple effect — by design — travelled from classroom to household to community.

    When the programme expanded to Raichur, one of India’s government-designated Aspirational Districts, the company said a baseline survey across 500 schools in December 2023 exposed how deep the crisis ran.

    Only 48 per cent of required toilets existed. Of those, just 20 per cent were usable. Twelve per cent of schools lacked a single functional handwashing unit. Ninety per cent of students depended on open tap water. One in four children still practised open defecation.

    At home, the picture was no better: 44 per cent of students had no toilet at all.

    India’s Swachh Bharat, or Clean India, Mission has constructed tens of millions of toilets since its launch in 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Independent researchers and government field assessments have repeatedly flagged the gap between construction targets and actual usage, citing behavioural barriers, poor maintenance and water scarcity as persistent obstacles.

    Over two years of implementation in Raichur and neighbouring Lingasuguru, toilet usage among students rose from 76 per cent to 95 per cent, according to TKM data.

    Handwashing compliance increased from 20.5 per cent to 100 per cent.

    Seventy-five toilets and 30 urinals were constructed. Fifty-eight handwash taps were installed or repaired. Twenty-eight schools received safe drinking water access. Menstrual hygiene sessions were conducted for 3,546 adolescent girls.

    At the community level, 1,382 parents were motivated to construct home toilets during the programme period; 38 completed construction.

    Harvard Business School has recognised ABCD as a case study. The Ivey Business School has published it — rare international acknowledgment for a sanitation initiative rooted in rural India, the TKM Said.

    The ABCD programme sits within a broader corporate social responsibility architecture that TKM has been expanding rapidly.

    Since 2001, the company’s CSR work has spanned education, health, environment, skill development, road safety and disaster management, guided by what it describes as a “Child to Community” approach. TKM spent Rs. 104.7 crore on CSR activities in FY 2025-26, reflecting the scale of its social investment commitments.

    In the 2025-26 financial year, TKM significantly widened its geographic footprint, extending its reach from communities around its manufacturing base to 12 states — among them Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha.

    The company plans to expand further to 22 states in 2026-27, framing the ambition under a stated vision of “Grow India, Grow with India.”

    “TKM is strengthening health infrastructure through preventive and curative interventions, enhancing the quality of education, and improving employability,” Gulati said, describing the overall mission as creating “Mass Happiness for All.”

    The Raichur intervention is ongoing. The earlier Ramanagara phase has stabilised, he added.

    Source: PTI

  • TTK Prestige wins CII greenco certification with 70% renewable energy

    TTK Prestige wins CII greenco certification with 70% renewable energy

    TTK Prestige, India’s largest kitchen appliances company, has earned the CII GreenCo Certification across all its manufacturing plants, capping nearly three years of focused sustainability investment that has driven a 51% reduction in CO₂ emissions and lifted renewable energy usage to 70% of total consumption.

    The certification, awarded by the CII–Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre under its nationally recognised Green Company Rating System, validates a sustainability journey that began in August 2023.

    It covers the company’s full manufacturing footprint and encompasses energy and carbon management, water conservation, material resource optimisation, green supply chain practices, product stewardship and waste reduction.

    “Sustainability for us is not an initiative — it is a fundamental part of how we design, manufacture, and innovate. Achieving the CII GreenCo Certification is a significant milestone in this journey and a validation of the consistent progress we have made over the past few years,” said Venkatesh Vijayraghavan, MD and CEO, TTK Prestige

    Beyond the headline renewable energy figure, the company reported a 24% reduction in water usage and measurable improvements in material yield across aluminium, stainless steel, plastic, paper and hazardous materials. Specific power consumption has also been reduced, with focused initiatives delivering waste cutbacks across product categories.

    Vijayraghavan said the gains were directly linked to the company’s broader product strategy. “Today, with 70% of our energy coming from renewable sources and a substantial reduction in our carbon footprint, we are building a manufacturing ecosystem that is both efficient and responsible. This enables us to deliver well-designed, superior quality products that are not only innovative and high-performing, but also aligned with environmentally conscious choices.”

    TTK Prestige said the certification reinforces its commitment to green manufacturing practices across its own production facilities, ensuring operations remain aligned with environmentally responsible standards while continuing to deliver consumer products. The company added that its forward focus would be on accelerating momentum and strengthening sustainable practices across operations as it positions itself as a future-ready, responsible brand.

    Part of the TTK Group, TTK Prestige has operated for over six decades and serves millions of Indian households through its Prestige brand, built on the pillars of safety, innovation, durability and trust. The company also owns UK-based Horwood Homewares, acquired in April 2016, and markets the Judge brand in India.

  • EBG Foundation launches Sambhav Hai to build carbon-neutral villages across India

    EBG Foundation launches Sambhav Hai to build carbon-neutral villages across India

    EBG Foundation launched Sambhav Hai on Earth Day, a nationwide rural sustainability programme spearheaded by EBG Group Founder and Chairman Dr Irfan Khan, targeting carbon-neutral villages across India through a phased, data-driven framework that begins with the adoption of Charla Thanda village in Telangana’s Nalgonda district.

    The initiative marks one of the most ambitious grassroots climate programmes announced in India this year, with a Rs 30 crore allocation for its first phase covering 50 villages, expanding to 150 villages in Year 2 and scaling to 750 villages in Year 3 with government institutional support. The programme aims to reduce carbon emissions by 10 to 20 percent within the first year, progressing toward full carbon neutrality within three years.

    “Real change cannot come from isolated interventions. With Sambhav Hai, we are building a model where environmental sustainability, economic progress, and community ownership go hand in hand. Our aim is to empower villages with the tools, data, and accountability systems they need to lead their own transformation and contribute meaningfully to India’s climate goals,” said Dr Irfan Khan, Founder and Chairman, EBG Group

    At Charla Thanda, on-ground interventions have already begun with household-level data mapping to establish a comprehensive climate and resource baseline. The programme will focus on improving access to safe drinking water, strengthening groundwater recharge systems and implementing structured waste segregation and composting solutions. Afforestation drives and regenerative land practices will run in parallel, with local volunteers trained to sustain efforts over the long term.

    The village is being developed as a live demonstration of the Foundation’s Minus One Village model — a replicable blueprint designed to be scaled across regions and geographies.

    “Sambhav Hai’s success will be tracked through a robust framework that integrates water, energy, waste, food and land systems, along with carbon footprint metrics under the Minus One Village model. This ensures that the impact is measurable, accountable, and scalable across geographies.” — Suresh Goyal, Additional Director, EBG Foundation

    “What began as a simple idea has evolved into a powerful movement for large-scale transformation. By placing villages at the centre of climate action and bridging the gap between policy and on-ground implementation, Sambhav Hai creates a pathway for communities to actively lead India’s journey towards environmental resilience.” — Ranjitha M, Additional Director, EBG Foundation

    In parallel with its phased village rollout, the Foundation said it would initiate work across multiple states as part of a broader national expansion, extending the programme’s footprint beyond Telangana into a pan-India rural sustainability movement.