12th National CSR summit “Role of CSR in Mission Viksit Bharat by 2047” held in New Delhi, Shri Nitin Gatkari Ji urges Community Engagement

New Delhi [India], July 28: The 12th National CSR Summit and CSR TIMES Awards 2025 were held in Le Méridien, New Delhi, on 15th July. Organised by CSR Times, a leading periodical on corporate social responsibility, the summit  facilitated critical discussions around the theme “Role of CSR in Mission Viksit Bharat by 2047.”

The chief guest of the event was Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highway Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari. The Guests of Honour were Smt. Rekha Sharma, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Smt. Smita Wagh, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Government of India (also recipient of Sansad Bharati Samman), H.E. Mr. Mariano Agustin Caucino, Ambassador of Argentina to India, H.E. Ms. Jacqueline Mukangira, High Commissioner, High Commission of the Republic of Rwanda, Mr. Bui Trung Thuong, Trade Counsellor – Head of Trade Office Embassy of Vietnam, and Eva Kopecká, Head of Commercial & Economic Section, Embassy of the Czech Republic. The summit was further graced by the presence of eminent dignitaries including Shri Surendra Nath Tripathi, Retd. IAS, Director General – Indian Institute of Public Administration, Dr. Rashmi Singh, IAS, Secretary Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) Government of NCT of Delhi, among other distinguished guests.

The Summit, powered by State Bank of India, brought together over 400 delegates including business leaders, CSR professionals, and numerous award winners from across India, while over 2,000 participants joined via live streaming. This event is set in accordance with the goals of Viksit Bharat by 2047 set by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as the nation positions itself as a voice for the Global South and a key partner to developing countries worldwide.

Mr. Harish Chandra, Publisher and Managing Editor CSR Times, in his opening address cited the importance of CSR in Viksit Bharat, “From commitment of enterprises to inclusive education and skill development, CSR stakeholders are essential architects of the future.”

Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highway Shri Nitin Gadkari, in his address to the vast gathering said: “What we take from our society, we must give it back to them. With our positive efforts we are able to change the backward sections of our society.” He highlighted his work in rural and agriculture sectors on how CSR funds build our society a better place to live in and its impact in rural and agricultural development in India. “Gaon ka pani gaon mei, khet ka pani khet mei, ghar ka pani ghar mei,” he concluded. 

Mr. Gadkari congratulated the winners of CSR awards and applauded their projects towards building a better India. Shri Nitin Gadkari also unveiled Shiksha Bharati survey, a new initiative of CSR Times, focused on survey of educational institutions on different key parameters.

CSR projects were honoured at the ceremony, having passed a rigorous selection process led by a respected jury comprising Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Air Marshal Sh. VPS Rana, Sh. Ravi Shankar, Sh. K C Sreenath, and Prof. Pushpanjali Jha. Some of the prominent winners were Late Shri Subhash Gupta (Lifetime Achievement Award (Posthumous)), SBI Foundation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Bisleri International Pvt Ltd, Maruti Suzuki India, Krushi Vikas Pratishthan, Nagpur, Grasim Industries among others.

The summit also featured two engaging panel discussions. The first, titled “Role of Social Organisations/Entrepreneurs in Nation Building,” explored grassroots innovation and social entrepreneurship as key to inclusive progress. The discussion featured Shri Manoranjan Nayak, ED-Reach to Teach Foundation, Shri Chirag Bhandari, CEO-Ennoble Social Innovation Foundation, Shri Ajai Garg, Head Digital Tech & Law – Anand and Anand, and Shri Shamsher Singh, President (Founder Member), Prabh Aasra, moderated by Shri Sreenath K.C, Development Communication Consultant.

The second panel discussion, “Role of CSR in Mission Viksit Bharat by 2047,” highlighted the essentiality of collective effort in realising Mission Viksit Bharat and stressed upon protection of natural resources, participating in sustainable practices and education-based upliftment and empowerment of vulnerable communities. The discussion featured Mr Amod K Kanth, Founder & Mentor – Prayas JAC Society and Allied Organizations, Mr Vaibhav Raut, CSR Lead- Regional CSR Projects, Bridgestone, Mr. K.Ganesh, Director Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Bisleri International Pvt Ltd, Mr. Ajay Kumar, Administration Head- South Asia, Avery Dennison, Ms Devina Kamal, Lead CSR, Jubilant Ingrevia Limited, moderated by Dr. Somnath Singh, Deputy Director, UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI).

In the vote of thanks, Mr. Prashant Das, Editor of CSR Times, expressed deep gratitude to all participants, guests, speakers, and awardees. He acknowledged the invaluable support of sponsors, including JSW Energy, NTPC Ltd., Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd., SJVN Ltd., THDC India Ltd., Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., ONGC, GAIL India Ltd., NLC India Ltd., Power Finance Corporation Ltd., NHPC, and Coal India Ltd and the contributions of Strategic Partner- UNGCNI, and Knowledge Partner- Singhania University, for making this event a grand show. The event concluded on an optimistic note, reaffirming a shared commitment to advance the journey towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047.