The many social, economic and environmental challenges that India faces today are too complex and interdependent for government, civic organisations and private sectors to effectively solve alone.

Although the business case for social responsibility has been gaining ground in India, much needs to be done to raise the impetus for corporate India to take up wider social responsibilities and to play an instrumental role in socio-economic development.

However, in a country where the majority of the population lives below the poverty line and has little or no access to basic public services, there is a need for increased adoption of public-private-civic sectors and the scope for a much wider alliance between them.

Joining Hands— A Social Responsibility Conclave— is an attempt by the Net Impact Club at the Indian School of Business to provide a platform to bridge the gaps and share the socio-economic developmental challenges and opportunities more widely with business leaders, social entrepreneurs, national policy makers, civic organizations and academicians.

Acknowledging that the necessary skills, resources and legitimacy for tackling these challenges are dispersed between different levels of various sectors, the Conclave would address the need for new models of constructive dialogue, consultation and alliances amongst the sectors. This would be a forum to learn from pioneers across sectors about which initiatives work and which don’t. The Conclave aims to educate organisations on the emerging roles in building socioeconomic prosperity, and to assist in their journey to create a successful, measurable and sustainable social impact.