charcha 2025: India's largest collaborative convening on livelihoods returns to Delhi with its 6th edition

• To be held on November 12-14 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, charcha by the*spark forum will foster conversations & collaboration on resilient livelihoods with key stakeholders across samaaj, sarkaar, bazaar.
• 20+ co-hosts, including Government departments such as Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, GOI and Atal Innovation Mission, market leaders such as LinkedIn, Meta, HSBC, large foundations such as The Gates Foundation, DBS Foundation, Nasscom Foundation, The/Nudge Institute, and more.
• Enabling discussions on skills and livelihoods, AI and tech for inclusion, agri and rural livelihood, gender bias, micro & nano entrepreneurship, etc.

BANGALORE, India, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- the*spark forum will host the 6^th edition of its flagship livelihoods convening 'charcha' from November 12 to 14, 2025, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Recognized as India's largest collaborative convening on livelihoods, charcha 2025 will bring together thought leaders, changemakers and powerful voices from government, markets, and civil society to drive dialogue and action for a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready India, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.

Over three days, charcha 2025 will feature 120+ speakers, 20+ co-hosts, and 50+ hours of programming, convening the most influential voices from policy, philanthropy, business and grassroots innovation. Co-hosts include marquee organizations such as Meta, LinkedIn, Atal Innovation Mission, The Gates Foundation, DBS Foundation, British Asian Trust, Bridgespan Group, Mphasis, Meesho, Magic Bus, NuSocia, The/Nudge Institute, and others shaping India's development landscape.

Speaking about the upcoming edition, Jerold Pereira, Managing Director, the*spark forum, said, "India's development challenges are deeply interconnected and cannot be addressed in isolation. The power of charcha lies in bridging these silos. Each year, this platform unites some of the brightest minds and boldest ideas from samaaj, sarkar and bazaar - translating dialogue into action for a more equitable and resilient India."

Adding to this, Kumaresh Pattabiraman, India Country Manager, LinkedIn, said: "India's next decade will be shaped by the rise of our tier-2 and tier-3 cities, where talent, ambition, and digital access are converging at scale. If we want to realise the promise of Viksit Bharat@2047, these growth hubs must become engines of both jobs and inclusion. That's why charcha '25 and the work championed by the*spark forum are so important in bringing the right people together and sparking the honest, cross-sector conversations India needs across government, business, and civil society. At LinkedIn, we're using our data, our network, and our AI-powered tools to help bridge the skills and opportunity gaps so that every professional, regardless of their pin code, can thrive in this fast-paced world of work."

This year's summit will explore seven key themes at the intersection of technology, inclusion, and livelihoods: Tech, Data & Impact; Agri & Rural Livelihoods; Policy & Capacity; Skills & Livelihoods; Inclusion, Empowerment & Sustainability; Capital & Philanthropy; and Social Entrepreneurship & SMEs. Each theme will feature plenaries, deep-dive discussions and masterclasses designed to surface actionable insights, cross-sector partnerships and scalable innovations.

charcha 2025 will host many distinguished speakers. In the Government & Policy space, the lineup includes Amitabh Kant IAS (Former G20 Sherpa, Government of India), Debjani Ghosh (Distinguished Fellow - NITI Aayog) and Dr. Shamika Ravi (Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister), among other eminent representatives from the government and policy ecosystem.

From Markets & Business, the convening will see participation from global and Indian business leaders such as Jessica Jensen (Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, LinkedIn), Sandhya Devanathan (Vice President & Head, India & SE Asia, Meta), Rakesh Bharti Mittal (Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises) and others. These leaders bring insights from corporate innovation, workforce development, and technology-led inclusion to the livelihoods conversation.

Representing Civil Society & Philanthropy, the summit will feature leaders such as Amit Chandra (Co-founder and Chairperson, ATE Chandra Foundation), Nidhi Bhasin (CEO, Digital Green), Maneesha Chadha (Head of Global Philanthropy, Asia Pacific, JPMorgan Chase) and many more. Together, they represent some of the most powerful voices driving inclusion, sustainability, and systemic change across India's development ecosystem.

Since its inception in 2020, charcha has grown into one of India's foremost development platforms - engaging 1,000+ leaders, 15,000+ stakeholders and reaching over 1.5 million people. Each edition of charcha has brought together diverse actors across samaaj, sarkar, and bazaar to align on common priorities, catalyze cross-sector collaboration and accelerate scalable impact. The 2025 edition continues this legacy, deepening focus on livelihoods resilience, technology for inclusion and partnerships that can translate India's demographic potential into equitable economic growth.

For more information and registration, visit charcha website.

About the*spark forum

the*spark forum is India's leading platform for dialogue and collaboration on livelihoods - curating cross-sector convenings that inspire ideas, partnerships, and action toward a poverty-free India.

Media Contact:
Preyashi Roy | [email protected]

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2814151/charcha_by_the_spark_forum_Logo.jpg