Key Points

The conference, held at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, convened over 80 speakers, 24 partners, and 20 sessions across four tracks: the art and science of decision-making, strengthening the core for social change, financing the future for social change, and delivering social impact at scale, according to a statement.

Prominent speakers included Mirai Chatterjee, Director of SEWA; Ashish Dhawan, Founder-CEO, The Convergence Foundation; Amarjeet Sinha, Retd. IAS and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress; Amit Chandra, Co-Founder of A.T.E. Chandra Foundation; and Sonia Singh, Founder-CEO, SSA India.

The gathering also brought together representatives from nonprofits, CSR teams, government agencies, funding organisations, and emerging leaders.

Ashish Dhawan emphasised the importance of scalable financial models that combine private-sector rigour with social purpose, saying they can help unlock India's demographic dividend while honouring environmental commitments.

He noted that India's march toward becoming a top-three global economy depends on sustainable, inclusive, and visionary financing.

"A USD 10 trillion-plus economy is more than scale- it's about building bold, resilient infrastructure underpinned by steady investments in human capital and innovation," Dhawan said.

Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and Director of ISDM, stressed that India must raise its GDP growth rate from 6.5 per cent to 8 per cent to meet the 2047 vision.

"India stands at a critical juncture in its growth journey. To achieve the vision of a developed nation by 2047, our GDP must consistently accelerate from the current 6.5 per cent levels to around 8 per cent. But this cannot be growth for growth's sake- it has to be underpinned by equal access to development capital, enabling innovation, entrepreneurship, and opportunities that uplift every segment of society," Sreedharan said.

Amit Chandra highlighted that as India pursues universal literacy, healthcare access, and net-zero emissions, development management will be critical in combining innovation with ethical stewardship. He underlined the need for adaptive strategies built on collaboration, capacity building, and compassion.

The conference provided a dynamic platform to reimagine development through management, the organiser said.

- ANI