Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation (IMEDF), a Section 8 company and the special purpose vehicle of the Development Alternatives Group, in collaboration with Tarasankar Panchagram Seva Samiti, Hindalco CSR, Fortune Odisha, and Swami Vivekananda Shiksha Samiti, organised an immersion program titled “Spinning Livelihoods, Stitching Sustainability – Collective Entrepreneurship with Natural Fibers” from July 25th to July 27th, 2025, at Santiniketan, Bolpur, in Birbhum District of West Bengal.

At the Sustainable Energy Fieldnotes 2025 in Mumbai, Development Alternatives’ Sudhir Sah emphasised that sustainable energy solutions must begin with community ownership and local needs. Showcasing the Urja Mandala Model, he highlighted how women-led collectives are driving rural electrification and green entrepreneurship. The “First Mile Matters” session spotlighted the importance of building adaptive, district-level ecosystems and designing for long-term impact within real-world funding constraints.

On 18 July 2025, TARA and AARDO signed an MoU to advance sustainable rural development across Asia and Africa, focusing on green technology, rural livelihoods, and policy support. The partnership aims to empower local communities through joint initiatives and capacity building for inclusive, climate-resilient growth.

Interactive Baal Mela activities organised in 5 Villages Government schools

The webinar Catalysing the Shift: The Power of Data for Social Good explored how data can drive smarter, more accountable decision-making in the development sector. Organised by TARA and Great Lakes Institute of Management, it set the stage for their upcoming MDP on Data Analytics for Social Impact. Speakers highlighted the importance of evidence-based leadership, real-world case studies, and practical tools to unlock the full value of field data.

The second edition of the India Street Vendor Forum 2025, hosted by NASVI at the Constitution Club of India, brought together government, civil society, corporates, and vendors to shape the future of modern street vending in Indian cities. As a collaborative platform, it focused on awareness-building, ecosystem development, and the modernisation of informal livelihoods. Development Alternatives highlighted the District Entrepreneurship Coalition (DEC) as a scalable model to promote entrepreneurship and job creation through convergence and community-led solutions at the district level at the event.

trialogue2047: Shaping Green Urban Futures explored inclusive, community-led approaches to urban transformation in the face of climate change. Experts emphasised justice, local innovation, and collaborative governance as critical to building sustainable, resilient Indian cities.

The Alt Urban Global Summit 2025 brought together leaders from policy, practice, and civil society to chart pathways for inclusive, climate-resilient urban development. It featured expert panels, the culmination of a national housing design challenge, and the release of key publications. The summit underscored the need for collaborative, ground-up solutions to shape green urban futures.

Development Alternatives contributed to the newly launched “Women Mean Business” Gender Playbook, offering practical insights on enabling women-led micro-enterprises in India's green economy. Drawing from our experience in rural entrepreneurship, implementation of social innovation and ecosystem-building, our inputs helped shape inclusive strategies and amplify grassroots stories alongside CEEW, Villgro, and SEWA.

Participatory planning through village-led governance and livelihood platforms

In June 2025, the Urja Mandala model took a major leap forward with the launch of two new solar mini-grids - 40kWp in Mirzapur and 30kWp in Sonbhadra. These decentralised, community-led energy systems are putting women at the center of clean energy transitions, supported by HSBC and local leadership.

Oman explores local clays for sustainable low-carbon LC³ cement.

Multi-location community events focused on beating the plastic pollution

Development Alternatives met Sri Harekrishna Panda, Superintending Engineer, PWD, in Keonjhar to promote low-carbon building materials. The meeting highlighted strong alignment and enthusiasm for sustainable innovations in Odisha’s infrastructure policies, paving the way for policy integration, scalable models, and deeper collaboration for climate-resilient public works.

To combat plastic waste and air pollution with data-driven solutions, UNDP India held a stakeholder engagement in New Delhi. The event focused on collaborative, community-led actions and highlighted citizen science, AI-based policy tools, and hyperlocal monitoring. To attain cleaner air and robust environmental governance in India, experts advocated for long-term, integrated approaches.

On April 25, 2025, Development Alternatives and the Cluster Level Federations (CLFs) in Simrawadi, Jhansi inaugurated the first-ever Udyamita Suvidha Kendra - a pioneering Entrepreneurship Facilitation Centre (EFC) that represents a new paradigm in locally embedded, systems-led enterprise support.

A high-level meeting led by Hon. Minister Mr Priyank Kharge was held at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru, to explore low-carbon solutions for the cement industry. In coordination with Swissnex, Dr Debojyoti Basu Roy from TARA presented Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) as a low-carbon, low-cost cement alternative.

Empowering youth through strategic employment and industry partnerships

The Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM) has launched the Suksham Udhyam Sakhi initiative to strengthen grassroots enterprise support. Over 13,000 women will be trained as “Micro Udyam Sakhis” to support nearly 6.5 lakh rural women in starting and scaling their own micro-enterprises. Development Alternatives is providing technical support to enable training, business planning, and ecosystem linkages at the community level.

Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation, a special purpose vehicle of Development Alternatives (DA) group, in partnership with PRADAN, along with the Center for Social Innovation & Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CSIIE), organised the Executive Training of Trainers on Enterprise Development for capacity building.