The ET Vision Conclave underscored rural entrepreneurship as a key driver of Viksit Bharat, spotlighting Development Alternatives’ bottom-up model that has enabled 37,000 enterprises and 80,000 livelihoods in Uttar Pradesh. Shrashtant Patara, CEO of Development Alternatives highlighted the power of local institutions, climate-smart market opportunities and the FIT (Finance, Institution, Technology) mantra to scale these gains statewide.

IIS probationers trained on NGO roles and visited Sidipur intervention

Development Alternatives joined GIT 2025 at IIM Kozhikode, where leaders and practitioners unpacked India’s path to Viksit Bharat through the lenses of work, women, and worldview. DA’s case study on digital empowerment in Lalitpur added a grounded perspective on how technology can expand opportunities for rural women.

The workshop brought brick entrepreneurs together to address labour welfare challenges, share best practices, and strengthen policy-driven social safeguards through the Social Code of Conduct.

PGP DM students experience Jhansi’s cultural, administrative, and developmental landscape

Development Alternatives (DA) convened a high-level roundtable, Reimagining Local Economies: A Systems Approach to Inclusive Entrepreneurship, on 5th November 2025 at New Delhi bringing together senior leaders from government, philanthropy, finance, technology, and the development sector.

Development Alternatives (DA) and its Work4Progress (W4P) partners hosted the 2025 Annual Innovation Conference on November 4 in New Delhi, bringing together global foundations, practitioners, and ecosystem partners to advance inclusive, green, and gender-responsive entrepreneurship in India.

Development Alternatives, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar and with support from Indian Metal and Ferro Alloys (IMFA), hosted a one-day workshop on “Mainstreaming Low-Carbon Building Materials to Transform the Built Environment in Odisha.”

TARA spoke at a workshop by OSPCB on transforming Odisha’s brick sector from topsoil to fly ash for a low-carbon built environment.

Community-led Tool Bank empowers women, improves farming efficiency, and productivity.

At the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) Plenary Session (10–12 Oct 2025) at Doon University, Brig. Yogesh Kapoor, VSM (Retd.), from Development Alternatives, shared how the organisation empowers marginalised communities through innovations blending tradition and technology. The session, chaired by Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, called for inclusive, context-sensitive development.

The Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation (IMEDF), a special-purpose vehicle of Development Alternatives, held a webinar on Enterprise Development and the Non-Farm Sector under its Capacity Building for Multiplication initiative. The session covered key aspects of entrepreneurship, social innovation, and the TFMC and Business Plan frameworks for sustainable enterprise development.

In October 2025, Mirzapur marked a key milestone in strengthening its rural entrepreneurial ecosystem with the launch of two women-led Udyamita Suvidha Kendras (Entrepreneurship Facilitation Centers) at Badlao and Sarthak CLFs.

Development Alternatives, in collaboration with IIT-Bhubaneswar, convened a Consultative Meeting in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The dialogue brought together government departments, research institutions, and key stakeholders to deliberate on pathways for a low-carbon built environment in Odisha.

At the #Work4Progress Annual Convening 2025 in Barcelona, global partners from India, Peru, Mozambique, and Colombia came together to advance social innovation-led entrepreneurship and systems change.

At the UP International Trade Show 2025, Development Alternatives highlighted how women-led enterprises are transforming Uttar Pradesh’s rural economy.

On the sidelines of UNGA and Climate Week in New York, Development Alternatives and partners held a dialogue on Building Resilience with Sustainable Livelihoods, highlighting systemic solutions and inclusive entrepreneurship for climate resilience.

The udayME Melas in Chirgaon and Mauranipur, Jhansi, drew 1,800+ participants, showcasing enterprise services, technologies, & local products while building strong pipelines of women-led & community enterprises.

Farmers learn maintenance practices for greener environment and secure income.