Bengaluru, 19 December 2025: CII Karnataka organised its Annual CSR Conclave 2025 “CSR Catalyzing Sustainable Development: Integrated Approaches in Learning, Livelihoods, Healthcare, Driving Inclusive Resilience & Climate Action” today in Bengaluru.
Mr Ramachandran, IAS, Special Commissioner – Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Government of Karnataka, emphasized that “CSR is not merely financial responsibility but a shared social responsibility requiring active hand-holding at the last mile. Drawing from his administrative experience, he highlighted opportunities for aligning CSR investments with government programs in education, health, nutrition, urban infrastructure, and climate action. He called upon industry to contribute time, expertise, and sustained engagement alongside funding to drive meaningful social transformation.”
Mr Guruprasad Mudlapur, Vice Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council & President, Bosch Group in India and Managing Director, Bosch Limited, emphasized that as India progresses towards becoming a USD 7 trillion economy, growth must be inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Highlighting skilling and human capital development as critical national priorities, he stated that CSR acts as a force multiplier for government initiatives by transforming demographic potential into a skilled and future-ready workforce. He also shared Bosch’s CSR approach aligned with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr Sudheesh Venkatesh, Communications Officer and Managing Editor, Azim Premji Foundation, shared key learnings from the perspective of private philanthropy. He emphasized that CSR should extend beyond financial grants to include empathy, deeper engagement with grassroots realities, and long-term institutional support to civil society organizations. He also highlighted the need to address funding imbalances across regions and sectors and to support organizational overheads to enable NGOs to deliver sustainable and high-quality outcomes.
Mr G V Rao, Convenor, CII Karnataka CSR Panel & Director – CSR and External Industry Affairs, Volvo Group India, cited “CSR has evolved from a compliance obligation to a powerful instrument for creating measurable social impact. The real transformation happens when industry, government, and civil society collaborate to address last-mile challenges and scale sustainable solutions across education, healthcare, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability. This collective approach is essential to driving inclusive and resilient development,”
Ms Sakina Baker, Co-Convenor, CII Karnataka CSR Panel & Head – CSR, Bosch Limited, cited “Creating meaningful and lasting social impact calls for CSR approaches that are integrated, long-term, and deeply rooted in community needs. When strong partnerships are combined with outcome-driven interventions aligned to regional and national priorities, CSR can move beyond projects to become a catalyst for sustainable development,”
The Conclave brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, CSR practitioners, and civil society organisations to deliberate on strengthening CSR as a strategic enabler of inclusive and sustainable development. Discussions focused on deepening multi-stakeholder partnerships, scaling proven best practices, addressing regional imbalances in CSR deployment, and leveraging CSR interventions for climate resilience, urban development, and inclusive growth.
Leading industries including Volvo Group, ASM Technologies Ltd, Bosch India, The Titan Company Limited, Maini Foundation, Sri Satya Sai Annapoorna Trust, Embassy Group, shared their insights and best practices at the conference, which saw participation from over 100 industry leaders.
