Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Former Secretary, Corporate Affairs—widely regarded as the father of CSR in India—addressed the 13th National CSR Summit 2025 as the Guest of Honour, hosted by Shikhar SOSD in collaboration with PHDCCI and the UN Global Compact Network India. He expressed deep appreciation for the inspiring gathering of young changemakers, corporate leaders, and development practitioners, noting that the summit’s theme, “Empowering Young Changemakers: CSR for Social Innovation and Sustainable Development,” captures the evolving direction of India’s CSR ecosystem.
In his address, Dr. Chatterjee highlighted the significant and expanding impact of CSR across the nation, reminding participants that India’s CSR framework is an entirely indigenous model—“for India, by India, in India.” He underscored the organic alignment between Schedule VII and the Sustainable Development Goals and elaborated on the “Chatterjee Trikon,” which continues to shape India’s unique CSR architecture. He emphasized that CSR has today grown to include around 28,000 companies with an annual spend of nearly ₹36,000 crore, playing a transformative role in areas such as skill development and preparing India’s youth, especially young women, for the future.
Dr. Chatterjee also expressed particular satisfaction in releasing the report *“Empowering Youth Changemakers,”* prepared by young researchers from Jamia Millia Islamia University under the guidance of Prof. (Dr.) Rihan Khan Suri. He commended the report for capturing the voices, aspirations, and innovative spirit of emerging changemakers who are reshaping the CSR and social innovation landscape. Appreciating the organisers for curating a meaningful and future-focused dialogue, he reaffirmed his commitment to continued engagement with stakeholders working to build an equitable, sustainable, and compassionate India through responsible and impactful CSR.
