Charcha 2026 – India’s Largest Collaborative Convening on Livelihoods

Charcha 2026 is scheduled for 15‑16 September 2026 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Curated by thespark forum, the two‑day event aims to bring together samaaj (society), sarkar (government) and bazaar* (business) to address problems that no single sector can solve alone and to foster inclusive, resilient development.

The programme spans eight thematic fronts: Philanthropy & CSR, Tech4good, Inclusive Livelihoods, Policy & Governance, Entrepreneurship & Informal Livelihoods, Rural & Agri Livelihoods, Education and Skilling, and Climate & Green Jobs. Over 50 hours of content will be delivered by more than 200 speakers and facilitated by 40 co‑hosts representing government agencies, market players, philanthropic foundations and civil‑society organisations.

Co‑hosts and Partners

The co‑hosting roster includes Atal Innovation Mission – NITI Aayog, Meta, DBS Foundation, Mahindra Rise, SEWA Bharat, Meesho, the Gates Foundation, American India Foundation, Lend A Hand India, J‑PAL, Pratham, Eternal, Central Square Foundation, YuWaah (UNICEF) and many others, totaling 40 distinct entities. This edition marks the deepest participation from the social sector to date.

Government and Policy Representation

Key government participants include Shri Rohit Kansal IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development; Dr. R Balasubramaniam, Member, NITI Aayog; and senior legislators such as Hon’ble Tejasvi Surya (Lok Sabha), Hon’ble Thamizhachi Thangapandian (Lok Sabha), Hon’ble S Niranjan Reddy (Rajya Sabha), Hon’ble K.T. Rama Rao (Telangana Legislative Assembly) and Sri Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Karnataka.

Business and Civil‑Society Voices

From the private sector, speakers include Vidit Aatrey (Co‑founder & CEO, Meesho), Anjalli Ravi Kumar (Chief Sustainability Officer, Eternal), Prabhakar L (Executive Vice‑President, Social Investments, ITC Limited), Mohit Bhatnagar (MD, Peak XV) and Divya Khemani (Strategic Programs & Partnerships Lead, Meta). Civil‑society and research leaders such as Padma Shri Renana Jhabvala (SEWA), Mekin Maheshwari (Founder & CEO, Udhyam Learning Foundation), Manu Chopra (Co‑Founder & CEO, Karya), Shobhini Mukerji (Executive Director, J‑PAL), Jayant Rastogi (Global CEO, Magic Bus India Foundation), Alina Alam (Founder & CEO, MITTI Café), Gaurav Goel (Founder & CEO, Samagra), Srikanth Viswanathan (CEO, Janaagraha), Azeez Gupta (Co‑Founder, Rocket Learning), Madan Padaki (Managing Trustee, Jan AI) and Rathish Balakrishnan (Co‑Founder & Partner, Sattva Consulting) also featured.

Bharat AI Experiential Centre

Co‑created with Jan AI, the Bharat AI Experiential Centre allows participants to walk through a simulated rural household day, showcasing AI‑driven crop advisory, symptom checking and other services built on indigenous intelligence infrastructure. The centre comprises thematic huts covering health, market linkages, financial access, education, employability, entrepreneurship, agri‑livelihoods and a village square, and hosts 15 + solution exhibitions and six AI‑specific sessions. Partners in this showcase include Wadhwani AI, Piramal Foundation, ITC MAARS, Meesho, Leap 300, Noora Health, Rocket Learning, Karya, Haqdarshak | DBS Foundation, EkStep Foundation, Jan AI and the Department of Rural Development.

Quotes

Jerold Pereira, Managing Director of the*spark forum, emphasized that “India’s hardest problems don’t sit inside samaaj, sarkar or bazaar. They sit in the gaps between them… only when the people who can actually act on a problem are in the same room… can collaborative solutions become a habit.”

Rohit Kansal, IAS, added that the convening arrives at a time when “technology, markets and society are being reshaped at unprecedented speed,” and that the platform enables policy to translate into partnerships and outcomes at scale.

Renana Jhabvala, Chairperson of SEWA Bharat, highlighted the need for joint ecosystem change to lift poor women up the socio‑economic pyramid.

Vidit Aatrey, Chairman & CEO of Meesho, noted that “technology can be a powerful equaliser… Platforms like Charcha 2026 play an important role in bringing these perspectives together and translating shared ideas into collective action.”

Historical Context and Scale

Since its inception in 2020, Charcha has convened more than 15,000 attendees and over 1,000 speakers across six editions. The 2026 edition expands the table to 40 co‑hosts and eight thematic fronts, aligning with India’s demographic dividend peak projected for 2040 and the strategic decisions that will shape growth through 2047.

Media and Production

ThePrint serves as the official media partner, while Teamwork Arts is the line producer. Registration and further information are available at charcha26.thespark.org.in.

---