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    Approaches, ideas, and fresh perspectives that cut across sectors within the social impact space.

    A woman in green saree sitting in her colourful street market stall, offering traditional Indian goods and decorations.-informal sector
    Gender
    Where women entrepreneurs find their niche
    Women own relatively few informal trade and service enterprises, with their businesses being concentrated in care, retail, education, and personal services.
    by Sneha Thomas, CEDA | 4 min read

    Latest

    close-up shot of a person's hands as she draws a figure mapping out power relationships between nonprofits, government schemes, relatives, etc.--
    Programme
    Who has the power to shape social change?
    Social problems are shaped by complex power dynamics. Power mapping can help nonprofits understand these systems and design more context-sensitive solutions.
    by Ananya Tiwari, Payal P Shah, Nidhi Kinhal | 9 min read
    a woman standing in an empty field speaking into a camera being manned by another woman while a young girl squatting on the floor holds up a mike--mental health
    Health & Well-being
    The mental health cost of freelance journalism
    Freelance journalists in India talk about the cost of covering rights-based issues without a newsroom, or a safety net, behind them.
    by Almaas Masood, Swati Thapa | 2 min read
    an aerial view of a boat and three divers in the sea--community engagement in Lakshadweep
    Climate Emergency
    In Lakshadweep without an exit plan
    After three decades of work in Lakshadweep, a research organisation shares why it expanded into community engagement and why climate action requires patience and long-term funding.
    by Al Badush A, Rohan Arthur | 8 min read
    a mosaic image of a bird in different colours - scale
    Scale
    Big problems need all hands on deck 
    Systems change is often shorthand for working with governments. But community participation is key for societal missions such as ensuring quality public education.
    by Meenakshi Ramesh, Rukmini Banerji | 6 min read
    A close-up of a vibrant campfire burning brightly in a dark forest--CSR
    Philanthropy & CSR
    A CSR Rule that needs to go
    India's mandatory CSR impact assessment framework risks rewarding what is easy to count rather than what creates lasting change.
    by Kailash Nadh, Nithin Kamath | 4 min read
    NEW SECTION. Featuring bite-sized stories from the ground.

    More Articles

    Detailed view of intersecting railway tracks with overgrown vegetation--Mental Healthcare Act
    Health & Well-being | September 16, 2026
    How is India’s Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 tracking?
    Learn about the history of the mental health legislation in India, and see where state-wise implementation of the 2017 Act is falling short.
    by Shubhda Sharma, Murchana Hazarika, Shreyus Sukhija | 8 min read
    cut down trees lying in the forest
    Environment | September 11, 2026
    Will Sikkim’s eco-restoration drive repeat old mistakes?
    Sikkim is replacing dhupi in its reserved forests with ecologically beneficial trees. To avoid another monoculture, it can learn from its own history.
    by Ithihaas Ravichandran, Karthick Sakthivel | 6 min read
    an illustration of anti-caste and human rights activist Martin Macwan--Dalit rights
    Social Justice | September 10, 2026
    IDR Interviews | Martin Macwan
    Dalit rights activist Martin Macwan tells us about the interactions that shaped his activism and the challenges he encountered during his life's work in social justice.
    by Debojit Dutta, Smarinita Shetty | 9 min read
    Aerial view of a large building with a rectangular courtyard, surrounded by densely packed buildings, busy streets, and market stalls--AI for social impact
    Technology | September 10, 2026
    How AI is changing what nonprofits can deliver
    Leveraging AI has helped two climate nonprofits offer more targeted, scalable, and accountable interventions. Here's how.
    by India Development Review | 7 min read
    a tractor ploughing the soil near greenhouses on a farm--Social enterprises
    Philanthropy & CSR | September 9, 2026
    From grants to debt: Rethinking how social enterprises are financed
    Grants alone cannot take social enterprises to scale. A mix of grants, guarantees, and commercial debt can help them build creditworthiness and unlock the capital they need to grow.
    by Srinivas Ramanujam, Meera Siva | 7 min read
    a large group of people with some seated on the ground and some standing. The focus is on a man squatting on the ground, making an
    Advocacy & Government | September 8, 2026
    Training the sarpanch alone won’t fix India’s panchayats
    Building the capacity of panchayati raj institutions means strengthening the ecosystem around gram panchayats, from women’s collectives to frontline workers.
    by Yogesh Kumar | 7 min read
    Two women sitting, with one of them massaging the other's head.
    Health & Well-being | September 4, 2026
    How gram panchayats can foster a culture of palliative care
    Gram panchayats can mobilise frontline workers, nonprofits, and healthcare professionals to deliver palliative care at home. Here's how Karnataka is putting this into practice, and why other states should follow suit.
    by Debojit Dutta, Srishti Gupta | 7 min read
    Close-up of a computer circuit board with electronic components and microchips--AI in governance
    Technology | September 3, 2026
    Making government AI accountable
    As governments increasingly adopt AI to improve public services, they must also track how it shapes decisions, affects citizens, and handles errors.
    by Avani Kapur, Sidharth Santhosh, Foundation for Responsive Governance | 7 min read
    A crowd of people gathered on a hill during rescue operations after a flood--Nagaland floods
    Climate Emergency | August 28, 2026
    Nagaland’s climate disasters need better response, relief, and reporting
    Landslides and floods that devastated eastern Nagaland in July 2026 exposed failures in the state's early warning systems, government relief, and media coverage.
    by Kuvethilu Thuluo | 6 min read
    a woman in a pink saree addressing other women sitting around her in a circle--primary healthcare
    Health & Well-being | August 27, 2026
    Health at the margins: Lessons for primary care
    Primary healthcare requires connection as much as services. A nonprofit in rural Rajasthan shows how effective care is relational, socially embedded, and systems-oriented.
    by Nachiket Mor | 8 min read
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