Evolving India :
Re-Imagining Rural Development for Shared Prosperity

6th and 7th June, 2023
Hotel Shangri La, New Delhi / Virtual

Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and with the Hon. Prime Minister’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047 (the 100th year of independence), the Ministry of Rural Development has rolled out a set of new measures, such as Mission Antyodaya which keeps evidence and data at the forefront during preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plans. Besides these newer initiatives, the Ministry continues to contribute to the rural development agenda of building safety nets, enhancing livelihoods opportunities for the poor and vulnerable, and improving rural infrastructure.

The World Bank and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been two long-term strategic partners of the Ministry of Rural Development and have supported the central and state governments in chartering newer directions through investments, partnership development, evidence gathering, and knowledge support. The institutions believe that the time is now ripe to chalk out a medium-term plan for 2024-2030 and a long-term plan for 2024-2047 to chart out the future of rural development in India.

The conference, hosted and curated by all three institutions – Ministry of Rural Development, The World Bank, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - will convene thinkers, learn from relevant global experiences, and brainstorm with strategic partners to deliberate pathways leading to India’s rural development. The event will focus on six key themes central to India’s rural development.

Day 1

Tuesday, 6th June 2023

09:00 AM to 06:30 PM

09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Welcome and Registration
09:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Opening Session
11:15 AM - 12:30 PM
Setting the Context
12:30 PM - 01:30 PM
Lunch
01:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Theme 1 - Leveraging Digital Opportunities for Rural India
03:15 PM - 04:30 PM
Theme 2 - Strengthening the Nexus of Agri-Food, Climate Change, Nutrition, and Gender
04:45 PM - 06:05 PM
Theme 3 - Entrepreneurship and Jobs for Rural Youth
06:30 PM onwards
High-Tea

Day 2

Wednesday, 7th June 2023

09:30 AM to 05:30 PM

09:30 AM - 09:45 AM
Recap of Day 1
09:45 AM - 11:15 AM
Theme 4 - Investing in Rural-Urban Transition
11:30 AM - 01:00 PM
Theme 5 - Reimagining the Design of Collectives
01:00 PM - 01:45 PM
Lunch
01:45 PM - 02:00 PM
MoU Signing (Rajeevika and SBI; Rajeevika and ICICI Bank)
02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Theme 6 - Financing for Inclusive Rural Growth
03:45 PM - 05:30 PM
What’s Next for India’s Rural Development?

Detailed Agenda

Day 1

Tuesday, 6th June 2023

09:00 AM to 06:30 PM

Agenda

09:00 AM - 09:30 AM

Welcome and Registration

09:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Opening Session

Welcome Note

Mr. Charanjit Singh

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India

Video Presentation

Opening Remarks

Mr. Auguste Tano Kouame

Country Director, The World Bank

Mr. Hari Menon

Country Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Video Message)

Address

Mr. Shailesh Kumar Singh

Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India

Mr. Faggan Singh Kulaste

Hon. Minister of State for Rural Development & Steel, Government of India

Keynote Address

Mr. Giriraj Singh

Hon. Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Government of India

11:15 AM - 12:30 PM

Setting the Context

Opening Presentation

Mr. Amarjeet Sinha

Member, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB)

Moderator

Mr. Andrew Goodland

Lead Agriculture Specialist, Agriculture and Food Global Practice, The World Bank

Discussants

Ms. Yamini Aiyar

President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research

Mr. Manish Sabharwal

Vice Chairperson & Founder, Team Lease Services Limited

Lunch 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM

01:30 PM - 03:00 PM

Theme 1 - Leveraging Digital Opportunities for Rural India

Opening Remarks

Dr. Parmesh Shah

Global Lead, Data Driven Digital Agriculture, The World Bank

Panellists

Mr. L.K. Atheeq

Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of Karnataka

Mr. Abhishek Singh

President & Chief Executive Officer, National eGovernance Division, Ministry of Electronics & IT, Government of India

Mr. T Koshy

Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Open Network Digital Commerce

Ms. Nidhi Bhasin

Chief Executive Officer, NASSCOM Foundation (The National Association of Software & Services Companies)

Mr. Aniket Doegar

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Haqdarshak

03:15 PM - 04:30 PM

Theme 2 - Strengthening the Nexus of Agri-Food, Climate Change, Nutrition, and Gender

Presentation

Ms. Krishna Baruah

State Mission Director, Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission

Opening Remarks (Video Message)

Mr. Martien Van Nieuwkoop

Global Director, Agriculture and Food Global Practice, The World Bank

Moderator

Ms. Priti Kumar

Senior Agriculture Specialist, The World Bank

Panellists

Ms. Nita Kejrewal

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development

Dr. Purnima Menon

Senior Director for Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR & IFRPI

Dr. Purvi Mehta

Deputy Director, Global Growth and Opportunities Division, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Ms. Soumya Kapoor Mehta

Senior Social Development Specialist, The World Bank

04:45 PM - 06:05 PM

Theme 3 - Entrepreneurship and Jobs for Rural Youth

Presentation

Mr. Vibhu Goel

Chief Executive Officer & State Mission Director, Anandadhara - West Bengal Rural Livelihoods Mission

Opening Remarks (Video Message)

Mr. Ravi Venkatesan

Founder, Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship

Moderator

Mr. Samik Sundar Das

Senior Rural Development Specialist, The World Bank

Panellists

Ms. Anna Roy

Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog

Mr. Ved Arya

Founder Director, The Buddha Institute & Founder, Self-Reliant Initiatives Through Joint Action (SRIJAN)

Dr. Gayathri Vasudevan

Chairperson, LabourNet

Mr. Pranay Bhargava

Founder, Wee Cee Fund

06:30 PM onwards

High-Tea

Day 2

Wednesday, 7th June 2023

09:30 AM to 05:30 PM

Agenda

09:30 AM - 09:45 AM

Recap of Day 1

09:45 AM - 11:15 AM

Theme 4 - Investing in Rural-Urban Transition

Presentation

Mr. AR Rahul Nadh

District Collector - Chengalpattu, Government of Tamil Nadu

Opening Remarks

Mr. SM Vijayanand

Former Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala & Former Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India

Moderator

Dr. Parmesh Shah

Global Lead, Data Driven Digital Agriculture, The World Bank

Panellists

Prof. Partha Mukhopadhyay

Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

Mr. Madan Padaki

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, 1Bridge

Mr. AR Rahul Nadh

District Collector - Chengalpattu, Government of Tamil Nadu

11:30 AM - 01:00 PM

Theme 5 - Reimagining the Design of Collectives

Opening Remarks

Ms. Sarada Muraleedharan

Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Governance Department, Government of Kerala

Moderator

Mr. Anjani Kumar Singh

Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Panellists

Mr. Shaji KV

Chairperson, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

Mr. CS Reddy

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Andhra Pradesh Mahila Abhivruddhi Society (APMAS)

Ms. Reema Nanavaty

Director, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)

Prof. MS Sriram

Chairperson, Centre for Public Policy, IIM Bangalore

Mr. Bjorn Schrijver

Project Manager, Rabobank

Lunch 01:00 PM - 01:45 PM

01:45 PM - 02:00 PM

MoU Signing (Rajeevika and SBI; Rajeevika and ICICI Bank)

02:00 PM - 03:30 PM

Theme 6 - Financing for Inclusive Rural Growth

Presentation

Mr. Rahul Kumar

Chief Executive Officer, Jeevika

Opening Remarks

Ms. Greta Bull

Director, Women's Economic Empowerment, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Moderator

Mr. Amit Arora

Senior Rural Finance Specialist, The World Bank

Panellists

Mr. Sivasubramanian Ramann

Chairperson & Managing Director, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

Mr. Pravin Raghavendra

Deputy Managing Director, State Bank of India

Ms. S Divyadharshini

Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women & Chief Executive Officer, Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project / Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihoods Mission