Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD)

SPJIMR Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD) is a networking and knowledge hub for the community of NGOs, policymakers, and commercial organisations who are developing solutions that address one or more of the sustainable development goals outlined in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. CISD offers a specialised Post Graduate Diploma in Management for managers in the development sector and hosts periodic knowledge updates and events relevant to the development community. The Centre’s thought leadership efforts are currently focused on solutions that improve agricultural livelihoods and promote educational equity.

Subscribe to CISD’s newsletter Dishaa, for regular updates and event announcements

    In Focus

    • Discover CISD's impactful initiatives

      Prof. Shalini Talwar, Associate Professor in the Department of Economic & Finance at SPJIMR and Research Lead at CISD, provides valuable insights into the comprehensive endeavors undertaken by CISD. These initiatives span from pioneering grassroots projects in education and agriculture to conducting impactful research that aligns with the SDGs.

    • SPJIMR CISD hosts CII Roundtable, “Agri Digital Technology: The Segway to Agricultural Prosperity”

      Roundtable discussion on Agri - Digital Technology

      The insightful roundtable brought together key stakeholders from agriculture sector to discuss the integration of digital technology and agriculture, emphasising the importance of talent, capital, technology, and policy alignment. The event highlighted India’s growing agritech startup landscape and the role of the agriculture sector in adopting many more emerging digital solutions.

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    • Leveraging the Union Budget: A guide for the social sector

      SPJIMR Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development

      SPJIMR Centre for Innovation and Sustainable Development (CISD) prepared this report to help social sector organisations evaluate the impact of the Union Budget 2023-24 and harness government support.

      Know more

    Education

    CISD’s programmes aim to educate key stakeholders and build the individual and organisational capabilities required to drive the SDG agenda across all economic and social strata of society.

    • Modular Management Programmes

      PGPDM

      The Post Graduate Programme for Development Management (PGPDM) is a 12-month executive management programme for professionals working in the social sector, including NGOs, Corporate CSRs, social enterprises, and for those seeking career transition to the social sector.

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    • Management Development Programmes

      Customised MDP

      Customised Management Development Programmes (MDPs) are crafted to impact the management capability, performance and innovative approach of social sector organisations through application-oriented learning with a carefully curated blend of training, seminars and workshops.

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    Events

    • February 11, 2024

      Role of Women in Building a Sustainable Future

      On the occasion of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD) organised a Literary & Art Contest on “Role of Women in Building a Sustainable Future”. The event followed the culmination of the Abhyudaya Visits for the PGDM and PGDM (BM) Batch of 2023-25 and witnessed enthusiastic participation from over 100 Sitaras and their Mentors.

    • Greenovate: Innovating Sustainable Change

      SPJIMR Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD), in collaboration with OJAS XVI, SPJIMR’s annual management festival, organised “Greenovate”, a sustainability-related event. The event allowed the participating teams to develop transformative solutions for real-world business challenges, making a tangible impact on our planet and its future. It witnessed the enthusiastic participation of over 550 students from various corners of India and embarked on a captivating journey.

    • Experiential learning for our participants working on ‘Digital Agri Technologies’ project

      SPJIMR Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development in collaboration with the Sumitomo Chemical India Limited (SCIL), organised a field visit to Nasik for participants working on the project on Digital Agri Technologies. SCIL is a leading player in the crop protection and agricultural solutions space, committed to empowering farmers with cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices. Their partnership with CISD, SPJIMR reflects their belief in bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world agricultural needs along with fostering innovation through academia-industry collaboration.

    • SPJIMR CISD hosts CII Roundtable, “Agri Digital Technology: The Segway to Agricultural Prosperity”

      The insightful roundtable brought together key stakeholders from agriculture sector to discuss the integration of digital technology and agriculture, emphasising the importance of talent, capital, technology, and policy alignment. The event highlighted India’s growing agritech startup landscape and the role of the agriculture sector in adopting many more emerging digital solutions.

    • CISD mangrove visit explores how corporates align people, profits and the planet

      Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD) recently collaborated with Godrej and Boyce to conduct an informative half-day trip to the Godrej Pirojshanagar Mangrove forest in Vikhroli. Sixty-five participants from SPJIMR visited the 2000-acre green oasis in the heart of Mumbai. The dynamic ecosystem supports 16 species of mangrove, along with 209 birds, 82 butterflies, 81 spiders, 75 other insect species, 32 reptiles, and several mammal species, including the Golden Jackal, Wild Boar, and Indian Mongoose.

    • Beach Clean-Up Activity

      SPJIMR’s Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD) regularly organises beach clean-up activities in collaboration with the well-known Afroz Shah Foundation (ASF) on Mumbai’s Versova beach. This Foundation has been removing and recycling an average of 368,404 pieces of plastic and 378,351 kgs of garbage per week through their various beach clean-up drives across Mumbai, including Borivali forest, Mithi river, Dana Pani Beach, Versova Beach, and remote islands.

    • Greenovate: Innovating Sustainable Change

      SPJIMR Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD) and Tata Power partnered exclusively for the first edition of “Greenovate,” a special Sustainability Challenge. The objective of this challenge was to find innovative business solutions aimed at advancing the sustainability agenda of the company, which is now a major player in the field of renewable energy. More than 550 college students across India participated in “Greenovate.”

    • Experiential learning with SPJIMR CISD

      For participants working on agricultural technology initiatives involving blockchain and IoT as well as drones, greenhouses, and multispectral imaging (MSI), SPJIMR Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD) organised a trip to Vadgaon village near Nasik.

    • Ehsaas

      Ehsaas is a NGO mela organised by SPJIMR DoCC to celebrate the spirit of economic self-sufficiency achieved through the perseverance of artisans, Self Help Groups (SHGs), and NGOs.

    • Aasra

      SPJIMR DoCC’s annual event Aasra is an inclusive sport and cultural fest for differently-abled individuals.

    Initiatives

    • Urban Resilience – Solutions for low-income urban communities

      Abhyudaya NGO

      The Abhyudaya NGO has engaged for over 14 years with 500+ underprivileged school children, called ‘Sitaras’, living in slums around the SPJIMR campus. SPJIMR provides academic and extra-curricular inputs over multiple years, making them ready to pursue higher education and livelihood opportunities.

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      Research on Urban resilience / Impact of Covid

      Research Affiliates of CISD are pursuing a range of research opportunities (academic research and case studies/policy papers) on urban poverty (including the impact of Covid) through the relationships established by the Abhyudaya NGO.

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    • Rural Connect - Capability building for rural development

      Network/Relationship with NGOs

      Over the years, the SPJIMR community has engaged with 500+ rural NGOs across India (and a few in Bangladesh and Nepal) through the Development of Corporate Citizenship (DoCC) initiative. While our students volunteer and intern with the organisations, the NGO community gains through the support provided by the students in areas such as fundraising, digital presence, strategy formulation, etc. The SPJIMR community gains from the cumulative relationship accrued over the years with the NGOs.

      Research on Agri-based Livelihoods initiative

      Many Research Affiliates of CISD (who are also faculty members of SPJIMR, specialising in multiple disciplines) are pursuing a range of research opportunities (academic research and case studies/policy papers) on the social exemplar, “Lakhpati Kisan.” The “Lakhpati Kisan” programme has been implemented amongst small and marginal farmer households in tribal districts of Central India by Collectives for Integrated Livelihoods (CInL). It has successfully alleviated the participating farmers irreversibly out of poverty.

       

    • SDG-Tech - Highlighting the role of technology in enabling SDGs

      Tech 10 Awards

      To tackle complex problems related to SDGs in India, several research/academic institutions and start-up networks have developed several technologies to provide affordable solutions and to build scale. However, poor access to relevant networks and average efforts at dissemination has meant commercialisation and scale-up opportunities are either lost or delayed. CISD will add value by instituting a rigorous process of working with appropriate partners to search/identify such technologies and then document and disseminate these technologies to relevant stakeholders, facilitating commercialisation and scale-up opportunities.

    • Awards and Fellowships

      Social Impact Awards

      Social Impact Awards is an annual event organised by SPJIMR DoCC which recognises and celebrates the contribution of exemplary social sector organisations and enterprises.

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      Regunath Research Fellowship in Social Citizenship and Management

      The fellowship is an initiative of SPJIMR’s DoCC. It is funded by Mr. Deepak Regunath, SPJIMR alumni and is in memory of his late father, Mr. Regunath Ganesan. 

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    • International Citizenry - UN and other international collaborations

      BSIEM

      The Business and Social Impact in Emerging Markets (BSIEM) program was launched six years ago with a mission to create unique learning experiences in different contexts and countries (Brazil, Colombia, India, Russia and Mexico), and to connect students with a variety of experiences, situations, problems and opportunities, and to encourage them to tackle social problems by adopting sustainable approaches, which may include launching successful business models. The University/Institute partners (SPJIMR is the Indian partner) share their expertise/adopting
      Sustainable approaches/business models while citing the context of their respective countries. The chosen focus areas are Brazil – Social Innovation, Colombia – Bottom-of-Pyramid/Circular Economy, India – Adopting Sustainability, Russia – Challenges: ESG Agenda in Russia under sanctions, and Mexico – Technology for social entrepreneurs.

      PRME

      Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) is a learning community of business schools committed to weaving its six core principles into business and management. SPJIMR DoCC hosts the PRME India Chapter event every year. Chandrika Parmar, Director DoCC, is the current chair of the UN PRME India Chapter.

      Know More

    Newsletter

    Dishaa: CISD’s Vision towards a Sustainable Future

    November 2023

    Subscribe to CISD’s newsletter Dishaa, for regular updates and event announcements

      Publications

      13 Mar 2024

      Trendy fashion is not always great for the planet, but circular fashion choices can help

      Prabhat Pani & Sunita Chandak Know more
      28 Dec 2023

      BAEL: Can pivoting to blockchain help the early-stage agritech startup in India?

      KC Shyam, Sushmita Srivastava, & Lijo John Know more
      15 Oct 2023

      Charting the path toward a greener world: A review of facilitating and inhibiting factors for carbon neutrality

      Shalini Talwar, Amandeep Dhir, Adeel Luqman, Jaya Gupta & Ritika Gugnani Know more
      21 Sep 2023

      Paani Foundation: A gamified approach to water crisis in rural India

      Pallavi Mody, Sushmita Srivastava & Shyam KC Know more
      12 Jul 2023

      Analyzing the food waste reduction intentions of UK households. A Value-Attitude-Behavior (VAB) theory perspective

      Muhammad Danish Habib, Puneet Kaur, Veenu Sharma & Shalini Talwar Know more
      1 Jul 2023

      Resistance of multiple stakeholders to e-health innovations: Integration of fundamental insights and guiding research paths

      Shalini Talwar, Amandeep Dhir, Nazrul Islam, Puneet Kaur & Ahlam Almusharraf Know more
      12 Jun 2023

      Different strokes for different folks: Comparative analysis of 3D printing in large, medium and small firms

      Amandeep Dhir, Shalini Talwar, Nazrul Islam, Rasha Alghafes, & Saeed Badghish Know more
      11 Jun 2023

      Disruptive digital innovations in healthcare: Knowing the past and anticipating the future

      Umesh Bamel, Shalini Talwar, Vijay Pereira, Laura Corazza & Amandeep Dhir Know more
      1 Aug 2023

      Lakhpati Kisan programme: Boosting the income of marginal farmers through women empowerment

      Mihir Ajgaonkar & Tanvi Mankodi Know more
      17 Jun 2023

      Biodiversity: The next sustainability frontier for Indian business

      Prabhat Pani Know more
      22 Jun 2023

      Tackling plastic pollution: For-profits, non-profits and citizens does matter!

      Prabhat Pani Know more
      16 Jun 2023

      The ever-growing problem of plastic pollution in the oceans

      Prabhat Pani & Sunita Chandak Know more
      23 May 2023

      Why India should lead the millet revolution

      Prabhat Pani & Akshita Agrawal (PGDM participant) Know more
      18 Apr 2023

      Can better water management lead to an increase in agricultural income? Inferences from the Lakhpati Kisan Program of Tata Trusts

      Sushmita Srivastava, Amit Kumar Singh (PGDM-BM participant) & Yash Kamdar (PGDM-BM participant) Know more
      6 Apr 2023

      Shree Anna, the superfood: India's millet mission for healthier, sustainable future

      V Shankar Know more
      22 Mar 2023

      Wake up, India – but, wash your face with limited water!

      Prabhat Pani Know more
      8 Mar 2023

      Empowered rural women as silent change agents: Learnings from the Lakhpati Kisan Program of Tata Trust

      Sushmita Srivastava & Harshita Mallareddy (PGDM-BM participant) Know more
      3 Mar 2023

      SDG-embeddedness in business school operations: State-of-the-art literature, ground realities, and measurement parameters

      Shalini Talwar, Amandeep Dhir, Arun Madanaguli & Peter Ractham Know more
      27 Feb 2023

      The great melting and eventual sinking: Have we reached the point of no return?

      Shalini Talwar & Aryan Sugla (PGDM participant ) Know More
      18 Jan 2023

      Transformation of supply chain management to green supply chain management: Certain investigations for research and applications

      Neha Saini, Kunjana Malik, & Sakshi Sharma Know More
      12 Jan 2023

      Survival and sustenance strategy of primary agricultural cooperative credit societies in India: a fuzzy interpretive structural modelling approach

      Debadutta Kumar Panda, Kaushik Bhattacharjee, Debmallya Chatterjee, Sankarshan Basu Know More
      9 Jan 2023

      The relationship between international trade in industry 4.0 products and national-level sustainability performance: An empirical Investigation

      Arindam Das Know More
      14 Dec 2022

      Elephants are also your business if you are in the plantation industry in India

      Prabhat Pani Know More
      13 Dec 2022

      Mitigating Climate Change Requires Innovative Solutions

      Prabhat Pani Know More
      1 Nov 2022

      Emotions and food waste behavior: Do habit and facilitating conditions matter?

      Fauzia Jabeen, Amandeep Dhir, Nazrul Islam, Shalini Talwar, & Armando Papa Know more
      10 Mar 2022

      Exploring the effects of import diversification on energy efficiency: Evidence from the OECD economies

      Buhari Dogan, Diogo Ferraz, Monika Gupta, Toan Luu Duc Huynh & Irum Shahzadi View More
      23 Aug 2022

      Digital transformation of healthcare sector. What is impeding adoption and continued usage of technology-driven innovations by end-users?

      Shilpa Iyannaa, Puneet Kaur, Peter Ractham, Shalini Talwar & A.K.M.Najmul Islam Know more
      30 Jul 2022

      Balancing food waste and sustainability goals in online food delivery: Towards a comprehensive conceptual framework

      Amit Shankar, Amandeep Dhir, Shalini Talwar Nazrul Islam & Piyush Sharma Know more
      29 Jul 2022

      Virtual reality tourism to satisfy wanderlust without wandering: An unconventional innovation to promote sustainability

      Shalini Talwar, Puneet Kaurb, Octavio Escoba & SaiLane Know more
      20 Jul 2022

      Green supply chain management in manufacturing firms: A resource-based viewpoint

      Mehmood Khan, Mian M. Ajmal, Fauzia Jabeen, Shalini Talwar & Amandeep Dhir Know More
      20 Jun 2022

      Diving into the uncertainties of open innovation: A systematic review of risks to uncover pertinent typologies and unexplored horizons

      Arun Madanaguli, Amandeep Dhir, Shalini Talwar, Thomas Clauss, Sascha Kraus, Puneet Kaur Know more
      18 Jan 2022

      Chapter 5: The labor participation of persons with disabilities in India: journey from the old to the new act (1995-2016)

      Amit Jain & Shreyashi Chakraborty Know More
      6 Jan 2022

      Green offering: More the centrality, greater the scepticism

      ShabbirHusain R.V. Know More
      3 Jan 2022

      Tata Power CSR: The paradigm shift for sustainability

      Bikramjit Ray Chaudhuri, Preeta George, Nirja Mattoo & Jeenal Shah Know more
      7 Dec 2021

      Assessing blockchain-based innovation for the “Right to Education” using MCDA approach of value-focused thinking and fuzzy cognitive maps

      Sarah Ashok Sonje, Rohan Sanjay Pawar, Shekhar Shukla
      31 Oct 2021

      National Education Policy 2020- Enhancing social cohesion and sustainable development

      Nirja Mattoo Know More
      22 Oct 2021

      Danone: Leading change by rejigging purpose?

      Tulsi Jayakumar & Surya Tahora Know More
      21 Aug 2021

      Understanding consumer preference between bundled and unbundled green offering

      ShabbirHusain R.V., Sanjeev Varshney, Pingali Venugopal & Munish Thakur Know More
      29 Jun 2021

      Leveraging blockchain technology for Indian healthcare system: An assessment using value-focused thinking approach

      Rashmi G. Shukla, Anuja Agarwa & Vidhu Shekhar Know More
      11 May 2021

      SPJIMR student wins Tata social enterprise challenge

      Prabhat Pani Know More
      1 Feb 2021

      Migration, trade and investment: Towards a new common concern of humankind

      Thomas Cottier, Anirudh Shingal Know More
      15 Dec 2020

      Serum Institute of India: COVID-19 vaccine pricing

      Malay Krishna & Sunny Arora Know More
      10 Nov 2020

      Food subsidy distribution system through blockchain technology: A value focused thinking approach for prototype development

      Rohan Sanjay Pawar, Sarah Ashok Sonje, & Shekhar Shukla Know More
      10 Nov 2020

      Assessing the effectiveness of total foreign aid and foreign energy aid inflows on environmental quality in India

      Mantu Kumar Mahalik, Muhammed Ashiq Villanthenkodath, Hrushikesh Mallick & Monika Gupta Know more
      10 Oct 2020

      The role of humanity in healthcare

      Jagdish Rattanani Know more
      18 Sep 2020

      ITC Hotels: Is responsible luxury sustainable?

      Malay Krishna & Pooja Mhapsekar Know More
      26 Aug 2020

      Review of literature on green consumer behaviour over 25 years (1994-2018)

      ShabbirHusain R.V. Know More
      30 Apr 2020

      Demonetization and digital payments in India: Perception and reality

      Manisha Chakrabarty, Ashutosh Jha & Partha Ray Know More
      1 Feb 2020

      Factors affecting quality of schools in India

      Bishwaroop Ghosh, Goutam Panigrahi & Debmallya Chatterjee Know More
      24 Sep 2019

      Sustainability policies for the fashion industry: A comparative study of Asian and European brands

      Anupama Gupta Know More
      15 Oct 2018

      The Muktangan story (Part A): An organizational study; and The Muktangan story (Part B): Winds of Change

      Mihir Ajgaonkar & Keith D'Souza Know More
      25 Jun 2018

      Livelihoods for women: Multi-agency models in India

      K G Karmakar, Nirja Mattoo, & M.Suresh Rao Know More
      7 Aug 2018

      Giving is a Very Serious Business

      Prabhat Pani Know More

      In the News

      • May 18, 2021

        'SPJIMR student wins Tata social enterprise challenge’

      Blogs

      March 15, 2024

      “Sustainable” fast fashion decoded

      Nupur Gulati, PGDM 2023-25 Know more
      March 4, 2024

      Sustainable practices in small-scale farming

      Rhea Verma, PGDM-BM 2023-25 Know more
      March 4, 2024

      Can India's traditional crafts inspire sustainable choices?

      Aakriti Khurania, PGDM 2023-25 Know more
      February 9, 2024

      Eating for the Earth: A sustainable approach to food choices

      Abhinav Shukla, PGDM 2023-25 Know more
      February 7, 2024

      Drowning in imports: Can India find a way out of its edible oil deficit?

      Vaibhav Singh, PGDM (BM) 2023-25 Know more
      January 17, 2024

      Healthy tomorrow, sustainable healthcare today

      Krishnendra, PGDM 2023-25 Know more
      January 16, 2024

      Miyawaki Forests – The Answer to India’s Urban Environment Crises?

      Eesh Jain, PGDM (BM) 2023-25 Know more
      December 26, 2023

      Women’s Livelihoods and India@100: How did women fare in the first Amrit Kaal Budget?

      Prabhat Pani & Mitali Nikore Know more
      December 14, 2023

      Dark data and green computing

      Rohit Roy, PGDM 2023-25 Know more
      December 8, 2023

      Sustainable Futures: India’s development journey, coupled with sustainability

      Anand Choudhury, PGDM 2023-25 Know more
      November 3, 2023

      Disruptive digital innovation in healthcare: Understanding and overcoming the resistance

      Shalini Talwar & Urmila Girish Know more
      September 25, 2023

      Leveraging the Union Budget 2023-24: Opportunities for India’s social sector

      Shalini Talwar, Sukriti Anand & Mitali Nikore Know more
      April 21, 2023

      The Indian perspective – An emerging nation’s take on carbon neutrality

      Prakhar Malik , PGDM 2022 – 2024   Know more
      April 3, 2023

      Sustainable development and ChatGPT: Some meaningful conversations

      Shalini Talwar Know more
      March 31, 2023

      Innovative Ways in Which India is Tackling Plastic Pollution!

      Pooja Jagadish Ugale,  PGDM 2022 – 2024 Know more
      March 23, 2023

      Forest Fires Disrupting Ecosystems

      Kishan Dhanrajani, PGDM-2022 - 2024 Know more
      March 23, 2023

      Feeding India Sustainably: Overcoming the Next Set of Challenges in Agriculture

      Manan Dhanuka, PGDM-2022 - 2024 Know more
      March 22, 2023

      Achieving 2030 Agenda: Need to balance the Janus Face of Innovation

      Shalini Talwar Know more
      March 10, 2023

      Global Risks and Innovation: Is it time to account for the dark side?

      Shalini Talwar Know more
      March 9, 2023

      Decoding Sustainable Financing

      Anahita Patange, PGDM 2022-24 Know more
      March 8, 2023

      The inspirational story of mangrove conservation

      Sharveya Baxi, PGDM 2022-24 Know more
      March 8, 2023

      Are electric vehicles really green?

      Ashish Samanta, PGDM (BM) 2022-24 Know more
      March 4, 2023

      The ‘Bad Taste’ of Good Food

      Dhruvin Zaveri, PGDM 2022-24 Know more
      February 24, 2023

      DLF: India’s attempt at Green Real-estate

      Anuvrat Anand, PGDM 2022-24 Know more
      February 24, 2023

      Biodiesel is the future fuel for automobiles!

      Kshitij Puniyani, PGDM (BM) 2022-24 Know more
      February 21, 2023

      Green Supply Chains: Accelerating Decarbonization through Data & Digital Tech

      Debrup Poddar, PGDM 2021-23 Know more
      February 6, 2023

      India’s energy policy: Balancing the energy mix in India

      Tushar Goel, PGDM (BM) 2022-24 Know more
      February 6, 2023

      Happiness Through Sustainability

      Ravi Bhai Patel, PGDM 2022-24 Know more
      February 6, 2023

      Community-led problem solving: A solution to the Maharashtra water crisis

      Pranav Bharti, PGDM 2022-24 Know more
      February 6, 2023

      Benefits of digitisation and fund-raising possibilities for small/medium NGOs

      Prabhat Pani Know more

      Reports

      Leveraging the Union Budget: A guide for the social sector

      SPJIMR Centre of Innovation and Sustainable Development (CISD) prepared this report to help social sector organisations evaluate the impact of the Union Budget 2023-24 and harness government support.

      Know More

      Webinars

      • Social Sector Samvaad

        Social Sector Samvaad Episode 5

        In this episode, Deepankar Panda, Co - founder and Chief Product Officer, ImpactDash, discusses impact measurement and management in social sector interventions. He highlighted the importance of context, a structured research-based approach, and strategies for monitoring progress and making adaptive changes.

        Social Sector Samvaad Episode 4

        The fourth edition of the Social Sector Samvaad webinar series on storytelling hosted by the Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD) was designed for people working in the social sector. It focused on teaching them how to tell stories effectively to bring about positive changes in people's behaviour. Participants learned practical strategies and skills to use storytelling as a powerful tool for communication in the social sector. The workshop aimed to show that good communication through storytelling is crucial for making a real impact on social causes.

        Social Sector Samvaad Episode 3

        The third edition of the CISD Social Sector Samvaad webinar series explored the potential of design thinking to address social sector challenges. The webinar offered development sector professionals an understanding of the human-centric, problem-solving approach to generate viable ideas to test and iterate to build solutions with real impact.

        Social Sector Samvaad Episode 2

        The second session of “Social Sector Samvaad,” a webinar series hosted by the Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD), explored the opportunities present in the Union Budget 2023-24 and how the social sector could harness these provisions. The different schemes available for the social sector under the five main pillars of Human Capital Development, Health and Welfare, Structural Inequalities, Social Infrastructure, and Livelihoods were covered.

        Social Sector Samvaad Episode 1

        SPJIMR's "Centre of Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD)" launched “Social Sector Samvaad”, its first series of webinars to disseminate relevant knowledge and skills to help build the capacity of NGOs. The series presents insightful conversations with social sector experts about new developments, wise innovation practices, and challenges in the social sector, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized NGOs.

        The launch episode of “Social Sector Samvaad” on “Why NGOs should have a digital presence, and how digitisation could help them in fund-raising” featured Chet Jainn, Founder, Crowdera Foundation, and was hosted by Prof. Prabhat Pani, Executive Director, CISD, SPJIMR.

      Podcasts

      • Sustainable Futures Episode 2: Conservation of India’s Privately-owned Mangroves, by Godrej & Boyce

        In our new episode of the  Podcast Series ‘Sustainable Futures’ Prabhat Pani, Executive Director, CISD, is in conversation with Anil G. Verma, Executive Director & CEO of Godrej & Boyce. In this thought-provoking podcast episode, we delve into the topic of India’s privately owned mangroves and the efforts to preserve them. Tune in now and be part of the conversation.  

      • Sustainable Futures, Episode 1: Tata Coffee's Sustainable Journey

        Very few corporates worldwide can claim to sequester ten times the carbon they generate in their operations. From zero depletion of groundwater in their operations, mitigating human-elephant conflict to digitally tagging its coffee bushes and scientifically assessing climate change for itself and the coffee-growing community, Tata Coffee has walked the talk on corporate sustainability. In the first episode, Mr Chacko Thomas, MD and CEO of Tata Coffee, in conversation with Prabhat Pani, Executive Director, SPJIMR Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD), discusses how Tata Coffee has raised the bar on sustainability initiatives by corporates. The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD).

      Team

      • People

        • Key Leadership

          • Prabhat Pani

            Prabhat Pani is the Executive Director of the Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD). He was the head of the Post Graduate Programme in Development Management (PGPDM) earlier. Prabhat possesses almost 40 years of experience in handling positions of responsibility in for-profit organisations in FMCG, Telecom, and Hospitality spaces, as well as in philanthropy. He holds a management degree from IIM Ahmedabad.

          • Tanojkumar Meshram

            Tanojkumar heads the PGPDM programme and is an Associate Professor, Public Policy, Department of General Management at SPJIMR. Tanoj is a public policy, education, and development professional and researcher with over 20 years of experience in government, academia, and the social sector. He earned his Ph.D. in Social Policy from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, USA, and has a Master’s in Public Management and Policy from IIM Ahmedabad.

          • Arati Nagaraj

            Arati is the Director, Abhyudaya at SPJIMR. An educationist with over 30 years of experience, Arati’s expertise lies in leveraging technology to develop innovative learning programmes. In the past she has worked with global companies including Apple, Facebook, Google, and Uber. In her previous role as Principal of Purkal Youth Development Society in Dehradun, she was recognised for redesigning the curriculum, implementing new teaching methodologies and raising funds.

          • Shalini Talwar

            Talwar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Economics, and also the Research Lead, CISD at SPJIMR. With a Ph.D. in Management Studies and MBA in Finance & Marketing, Shalini has a cumulative work experience of 25 years in industry and academia. Her professional interests span three key domains – teaching, research, and editorial responsibilities. A researcher committed to cross-functional and multi-disciplinary studies, Shalini’s published and ongoing work focuses on contemporary areas including but not limited to sustainability, innovation, pro-environmental behaviour, investor and firm behaviour, and digital disruptions.  

          • V Shankar

            V Shankar is Executive in Residence, CISD. He possesses 45 years of rich industry experience including long stints in Unilever and in the Tata Group. Shankar’s previous role was the MD and CEO of Rallis India, post which he helped establish a Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Agriculture and Farm Excellence as a Tata Group initiative. He is a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, Company Secretary, Law Graduate, and alumnus of IMD Lausanne, Switzerland.

          • Chandrika Parmar

            Chandrika Parmar holds a Ph.D. from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, UK, with a specialisation in Management Research. She is an enthusiastic educator with a deep interest in research areas specific to social sciences. She has 30 years of overall experience, wherein she has been engaged with leading academic institutions and research organisations in leadership roles. At SPJIMR, Chandrika is an Associate Professor, General Management and Director, Development of Corporate Citizenship (DoCC).

        • Research Affiliates

          • Akansha Misra

            Assistant Professor
            Department of Operations, Supply Chain Management & Quantitative Methods, SPJIMR

          • Lijo John

            Assistant Professor
            Department of Operations, Supply Chain Management & Quantitative Methods, SPJIMR

          • Mihir Ajgaonkar

            Associate Professor
            Department of Organisation & Leadership Studies, SPJIMR

          • Sushmita Srivastava

            Associate Professor
            Department of Organisation & Leadership Studies, SPJIMR

          • Tanvi Mankodi

            Assistant Professor
            Department of Organisation & Leadership Studies, SPJIMR, and
            Lead, Teaching Excellence & Teaching Development, SPJIMR

        • Clinical Faculty

          • Anjali Kanitkar

            Anjali Kanitkar is an Associate Professor at the College of Social Work, Mumbai. She teaches graduate and post-graduate courses in Community Organisation, Social Policy and Planning and Ecology. She was a Director of Social Audit in the Government of Maharashtra till 2020. She has completed her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Mumbai and M.A. in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

          • Veera Dikshit

            Veera Dikshit has over 28 years of experience in the corporate sector across a wide range of sales and marketing disciplines, including partner and alliance management for enterprise clients in India/ Asia. In her last assignment at Thomson Reuters, Veera led business development for the corporate segment in India/ South Asia and was part of the leadership team at Thomson Reuters.

          • Nishit Kumar

            Nishit Kumar is the Founder and MD at Centre for Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBC3), a section 8 non-profit public company and India’s first non-profit dedicated to integrating SBCC methods with interventions.

          • Shalabh Sahai

            Shalabh Sahai began his journey by co-founding iVolunteer in 2001 and continues to lead it today as the largest social enterprise for formal volunteering in India, counting marquee corporate names as its partners. He is also credited with creating iVolunteer Awards, India’s only awards that inspire and establish new benchmarks in volunteering.

          • Sumeet Patil

            He is currently working as CEO and Research Director at NEERMAN, an independent non-profit organisation that provides engineering, economics and policy solutions in the environment and health sectors. He has also worked with the Water and Sanitation Program at the World Bank as Co-Principal and Investigator for the health impact evaluation of total sanitation campaigns.

          • Swapan Garain

            Swapan Garain is a social entrepreneur, social scientist, social work educator, trainer, social business mentor, and non-profit manager. With more than four decades of service to society, he has been engaged in helping set up and manage foundations and family trusts, guiding corporate for their social responsibility initiatives, facilitating government policy-making, appraising projects for funding, teaching university students, training change agents, doing field action research, writing, consulting, networking among social sector stakeholders, and promoting of social entrepreneurship.

        • Key Administrator

          • Sunita Chandak

            Sunita the key administrator of CISD has worked for more than 11 years in diverse sectors including education, media and events. She is a commerce graduate from the University of Calcutta.

      Partners

      • Key Partners

        Vijasu Ecotec

        CISD has partnered with Vijasu Ecotec, a Mumbai-based ESG-focused organisation dedicated to ‘Sustainable Agriculture.’ Vijasu Ecotec specializes in developing technology and products through extensive research, positively impacting farm productivity and soil health. In collaboration, students are working on a project to establish an online marketplace for DPV Bio Stimulants. The project’s key objectives include competitor analysis, market segmentation, demand analysis, marketplace expansion assessment, traction evaluation, and SEO enhancement. This partnership aims to explore market dynamics, assess online sales potential, and contribute to a more efficient and sustainable future.

        Dvara-E Registry

        SPJIMR’s CISD has entered an innovative collaboration with Dvara E-Registry, a key player working with Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and their member farmers in rural India. Dvara E-Registry, an AgFinTech start-up utilises a range of technologies such as Remote Sensing, AI, and ML to deliver invaluable, farm-specific current and historical data through advanced analytics. This facilitates farmer financing and empowers organisations like FPOs to make well-informed business decisions. Through this collaboration, the students get the opportunity to explore the possibilities and potential for Farmer Producer Companies to leverage social media and e-commerce platforms leveraging Dvara’s offering.

        Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd

        As part of the CISD committee at SPJIMR, students are being mentored by Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd, a leading provider of crop protection, grain fumigation, rodent control, bio pesticides, environmental health, professional pest control, and feed additives. The mentorship focuses on addressing key challenges such as chatbot fluency, news access, and the digital divide across communities. The goal is to discover solutions that enhance technology and communication for all.

        Syngenta Foundation India (SFI)

        We have partnered with Syngenta Foundation India (SFI) to study and research their flagship initiative Agri-Entrepreneurship (AE) programme.  The AE Model aims to develop and anchor self-sustainable Agri-Entrepreneurs to provide agriculture services to smallholder farmers, generating rural employment, improving agricultural incomes and practices, and furthering environmental sustainability. CISD will investigate the initiative to generate teaching-learning material, knowledge production, and policy issues for advocacy in the public interest. A research is underway to assess the efficacy of the AE training programme, particularly with regard to women. The focus is to understand how the AE training programme contributes to the development of an entrepreneurial attitude.

        Ivy Cap Ventures, and Ivy Camp

        SPJIMR’s CISD has partnered with Ivy Cap ventures and Ivy Camp to provide students with exposure on evaluating startups for investment in the Agritech space. The engagement involves activities including an interactive session to discuss investment criteria, evaluation of startups in the Agritech space, and discussions with Agritech startup founders to understand key factors that affect technology-related decisions in the Agritech space.

        Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI)

        In collaboration with CInI, an organisation dedicated to working closely with the tribal and rural communities in Central India to meet their aspirations, our partnership focuses on providing students with the chance to assess the value proposition and market potential of biofertilizers and bio-slurry from the waste to energy to agriculture perspective, along with examining policies to promote their adoption. These analyses contribute to the broader implementation of CInI’s Sustain+ approach, along with understanding the community perspectives for adoption and scale —an open-source platform for sustainable energy access in poverty alleviation initiatives in India.

        Mahindra and Mahindra

        CISD has established a collaboration with Mahindra and Mahindra Limited to partner on activities focused on agri-business technologies, and entrepreneurship. In the first engagement, Mahindra and Mahindra has commissioned two projects for SPJIMR students to learn about Business Process Evaluation of agri models in the Agri-tech space, as well as evaluation of technologies used by Agri-tech Startups.

        Pune Knowledge Cluster Foundation (PKCF)

        CISD has collaborated with the Pune Knowledge Cluster Foundation (PKCF) towards the aim of making the SPJIMR campus carbon neutral. The engagement started with formation of ‘Carbon Neutral Campus (CNC)’ team within SPJIMR, and initial orientation/training to work towards establishing the baseline status of the SPJIMR campus on Carbon neutrality.

      Vlogs

      • Sustainable Resolutions for 2024

        CISD presents an insightful guide to eco-friendly living and conscious choices for a sustainable 2024.

      • World Ozone Day

        On this World Ozone Day this vlog presents key insights from our PGDM 2022-24, participant Kishan Dhanrajani’s blog that delves into the pressing issue of forest fires and their far-reaching impact on the ozone layer and our environment.

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      • International Plastic Bag Free Day

        The video presents insights shared by its Executive Director Prabhat Pani in his article, “Tackling plastic pollution: For-profits, non-profits and citizens does matter!” to commemorate the International Plastic Bag Free Day.

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      • World Food Safety Day

        This video presents salient points from our PGDM 2022-24 participant, Manan Dhanuka’s blog, “Feeding India sustainably: Overcoming the next set of challenges in agriculture”. In his blog, Manan notes agriculture’s critical role in safeguarding food safety for everyone.

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      • World Environment Day 2023

        On World Environment Day, CISD presents this video to highlight the insights shared by our PGDM participant Pooja Ugale in her blog, “Innovative ways in which India is tackling plastic pollution!”.

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      • Insights on climate change by participant Raj Desai

        On Earth Day, this vlog presented highlights from our PGDM 2024 participant Raj Desai’s blog on the pressing issue of climate change and its impact on public health, exploring solutions to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and supporting sustainable practices.

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      • World Biodiversity Day Video

        On World Biodiversity Day, this vlog presents insights about the human-wildlife conflict and how Tata Coffee (TCL) manages the continuing elephant menace at its coffee plantations spanning across 19 states with its well-implemented strategies to coexist in harmony with nature. The article written by SPJIMR CISD Executive Director, Prabhat Pani was published in Forbes India.

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      • On World Health Day, this vlog presents unsustainable agricultural practices, the negative impact of the meat and dairy industry and possible solutions to enhance both human health and the environment highlighted by our PGDM 2024, participant Dhruvin Zaveri in his blog, The ‘Bad Taste’ of good food.

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      • On World Water Day, this vlog highlights the serious water issues and the possible solutions elaborated by our PGDM 2024, participant Pranav Bharti

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      Working Papers

      CISD research affiliates pursue a wide range of research activities, including research articles, case studies and policy papers on the “Lakhpati Kisan” project of Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI) an exemplar in the space of ‘Sustainable Livelihoods in Agriculture’.

      • Lakhpati Kisan Project of CInI

        Lakhpati Kisan Programme (LKP): A case of multi-pronged intervention for household income enhancement

        Sushmita Srivastav and Lijo John

        Agriculture based interventions directed towards sustainable income and livelihood have been of utmost importance for governments, policy makers and farmer communities across the world. Lakhpati Kisan Smart village programme undertaken by Tata Trusts with its nodal agency CInI, in India, has covered more than a lakh household in the Tribal belts of India. It has substantially improved incomes to cross INR 100,000 per annum (and therefore lakhpati) for more than 50% of the farmer households. This paper seeks to study how LKP operationalized this multi-pronged approach resulting in increase in the house-hold income and to arrive at a holistic understanding of the programme. This study has been done with extensive interactions with various LKP stakeholders in the State of Gujarat, India. The paper has been accepted for presentation at an international conference shortly.

        The role of women–led Farmer Producer Companies (FPC) in achieving sustainable livelihood: A study of FPCs under the Lakhpati Kisan Programme

        Sushmita Srivastav and Lijo John

        Although India has over 8000 FPCs- an Apex community-led intervention of farmers, only 3% are Women FPCs. This despite the fact that 85% of agricultural farmers in India are women and they contribute significantly to the rural economy of the country, mostly as farm labourers. Mainstreaming women farmers into institutions like the FPC is more likely to lead to better utilization of resources that would contribute to livelihood. This study focuses on how LKP has facilitated the women to play a critical role in FPCs in achieving sustainable livelihood – not only in increasing agricultural income but also improving the quality of life through improved agricultural and livestock practices. Some of the outcomes would be centred around the critical underlying factors in identifying role of women in low income Agri-communities for creating sustainable and inclusive growth through formal institutions such as FPCs.

        Securing sustainable income through irreversible poverty: A comparative study of the Lakhpati Kisan Programme in the states of Gujarat and Jharkhand in India

        Sushmita Srivastav and Lijo John

        This paper is based on a comparative study of two States, Gujarat and Jharkhand in India, where the Lakhpati Kisan programme has been introduced to achieve sustainable income and break poverty traps. It seeks to answer the question of how the same programme with same operational capability has varied outcomes in different geographies. The paper also delves into the softer aspects of regional economic variations such as socio, economic, cultural and political factors, amongst others.

        Case study on the Lakhpati Kisan Programme

        Mihir Ajgaonkar and Tanvi Mankodi

        Tata Trusts and CINI have focused on the development of the marginal farmers from the tribal belt in India, with an objective to uplift their livelihood under the programme” Lakhpati Kisan”.

        The programme leaders of the “Lakhpati Kisan” have designed various interventions for the improvement in the economic status of these farmers through women empowerment. This teaching case study explores the sustainability of leadership dimensions of these interventions in the context of the overall social objectives of the “Lakhpati Kisan” programme.

        The data for this teaching case have been collected through in-depth qualitative interviews and through secondary sources from the records of CINI and the public domain. This case is in progress.

        The teaching case would be useful for teaching leadership frameworks in the Organizational Behaviour courses in the Master of Business Administration and other post-graduate management and executive education programmes.

      Contact Us

      Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD)

      +91-22 – 6145 4391

      cisd@spjimr.org

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