At charcha 2026, samaaj, sarkaar and bazaar convene at scale to chart India's development agenda
The seventh edition of 'charcha' in New Delhi convened over 2,000 attendees and 250+ speakers to discuss India's development agenda, focusing on livelihoods, technology, inclusion, and innovation. The event aimed to align civil society, government, and markets to drive sustainable change, with a key discussion on India building the world's first AI Development State.
Why it matters
This conference highlights India's strategic focus on leveraging technology, particularly AI and data, for national development and inclusive growth, bringing together diverse stakeholders to address critical societal challenges and shape future policy.
NEW DELHI , Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- charcha, curated by the*spark forum, concluded its seventh edition on 16 September at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. 2,000+ attendees came together each day, across two days, to share learnings around livelihoods, technology, inclusion and innovation, and to discover common agendas and shared pathways to accelerate growth in the development sector. The convening featured 250+ speakers from 40 co-hosting organisations, including Atal Innovation Mission (NITI Aayog), PRADAN, Eternal, SEWA, DBS Foundation, EkStep Foundation, Meta, Meesho, Janaagraha, Mahindra Rise, J-PAL, Central Square Foundation, The/Nudge and others. Panel discussions, workshops and plenaries ran across eight core themes: Inclusive Livelihoods, Tech4Good, Policy & Governance, Entrepreneurship & Informal Livelihoods, Rural & Agri Livelihoods, Education & Skilling, Climate & Green Jobs and Philanthropy & CSR.
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