PNN

New Delhi [India], August 12: The 13th National CSR & ESG Summit and Awards 2026 were held in Le Meridien, New Delhi, on 04th August. Organised by CSR Times, a leading periodical on corporate social responsibility, the summit facilitated critical discussions around the theme 'Role of Responsible Businesses for Inclusive Bharat.' The Summit brought together over cross-sector participation of 500 delegates from Corporates, PSUs, NGOs, foundations, MSMEs including business leaders, CSR professionals, ESG leaders and numerous award winners from across India; while thousands joined via live streaming.

The Summit was graced by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon'ble Union Minister for Culture & Tourism, as the Chief Guest. Guests of honour included Shri Pramod Boro, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Dr Medha Kulkarni, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Shri Praveen Patel, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, H.E. Ms. Sena Latif, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Romania to India, H.E. Mr. Juan Rolando Angulo Monsalve, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Chile to India, H.E. Mr. Chandradath Singh, High Commissioner Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Surendra Nath Tripathi, Retd. IAS, Formal Director General-Indian Institute of Public Administration, Shri Manoj Garg, Retd IAS, President All India Business & Community Foundation, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI and Dr Bhaskar Chatterjee, Former Director General and CEO - Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Jury Chairman-CSR Times and Bharat ESGS Awards, among other distinguished guests.

Hon'ble Union Minister for Culture & Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in his address to the vast gathering said: 'When each of India's 140 crore citizens recognizes and fulfils their own social responsibility, the dream of Viksit Bharat will come true.' He highlighted that CSR and ESG are not just corporate commitments, but are instruments of nation-building. 'ESG is a step ahead of CSR. It aligns Indian businesses with global benchmarks while encouraging organizations to create value beyond economic returns through meaningful social and environmental action', he added. Mr. Shekhawat congratulated the winners of CSR awards and applauded their projects towards building an inclusive India.

Shri Pramod Boro, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, in his keynote address said, 'Small interventions but resilient intervention is the way forward'. He emphasized that responsible businesses have a vital role to play in changing lives through sustained grassroots interventions. He called for greater support for tribal communities living in forest regions, advocated for the organized development of the organic food sector, and stressed the importance of preserving and promoting indigenous education systems as integral to building inclusive Bharat.

During the summit, the CSR Times Awards 2026 and Bharat ESG & Sustainability Awards 2026 honoured organisations that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to creating sustainable, scalable, and measurable social impact across diverse sectors. In a landmark announcement, CSR Times introduced its highest honour, the CSR Times Platinum Award for Best CSR Project 2026, which was presented to NTPC Mouda Super Thermal Power Station. Some of the prominent winners were Bisleri International Private Limited, Reliance Industries Limited, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd., PepsiCo India, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, Bajaj Electricals Foundation, and DLF Foundation, among others.

The summit also featured the Sansad Bharati Awards, honouring Shri Praveen Patel, Hon'ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Dr. Medha Kulkarni, Hon'ble Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), recognising their outstanding contributions to public service and parliamentary excellence.

The day-long summit featured two thought-provoking panel discussions that brought together distinguished leaders from the corporate, development, and policy sectors.

The first panel, 'How CSR Can Drive Deep Science Innovations Across the Country,' was moderated by Mr. Gopalakrishnan Nambi, Head - Outreach, Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID). The discussion explored how CSR can catalyse scientific research, innovation, academia-industry collaboration, and technology-led social transformation. Joining the discussion were Mr. Arvind Chandrasekhar - Head, CSR & Government Affairs, AMD, Mr. Atul Choudhari - Chief Technology Officer - Tata Consulting Engineers, Mr. Raj Waghray, CEO - STEM Cell, FSID, Ms. Radhika S Rao, Head of Corporate Brand and CSR,Tesco Bengaluru, and Dr Binita Verdia, Head-CSR, Zydus Lifesciences.

The post-lunch panel discussion on 'Role of Responsible Businesses for Inclusive Bharat'moderated by Shri Ratnesh, Executive Director, UNGCNI, with Mr. Shiddalingesh Ballolli, Program Head, SBI Gram Seva, Ms. Antara Kapoor, Lead - Social Impact, PepsiCo India, and Dr. Shabnam Asthana, Executive Editor-CSR Times, as panelists, deliberated on how businesses can drive equitable and sustainable growth. The session explored the evolving role of CSR and ESG in fostering inclusive development, empowering underserved communities, strengthening public-private partnerships, and embedding sustainability into core business strategies.

The summit was supported by Co-Sponsor-NTPC; Associate Partners-SECI, SJVN, THDC India Limited, Bank of India, BPCL, LIC, REC Limited, Engineers India Limited, HPCL, and NHPC; Deep Science Innovation Partner-Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID), Knowledge Partner-TERI, Outreach Partner-UN Global Compact Network India, and Telecast Partner-ET NOW. The event concluded with a renewed commitment from all stakeholders to strengthen partnerships, champion responsible business practices, and drive sustainable and inclusive development across the nation.

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