The National Conference on Responsible Business Conduct (NCRBC) 2025, hosted by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, concluded its impactful two-day run on July 3 at Taj Palace, New Delhi, spotlighting a bold new direction for India’s corporate responsibility narrative.
Delivering the Valedictory Address, Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, DG & CEO of IICA, urged a decisive shift from awareness to institutionalisation of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) values. He emphasised that ESG must evolve from a strategic footnote into the very moral and operational core of business conduct.
High-Level Dialogues and Sectoral Collaborations
The conference featured 12 robust panel discussions bringing together over 75 eminent speakers spanning policy, diplomacy, finance, and industry. Key highlights include:
- Decarbonising India Panel: Eminent speakers like Ms. Leena Nandan, Dr. Ajay Mathur, and experts from TERI and WWF India emphasised equitable climate transitions rooted in local ecosystems.
- Sectoral ESG Adaptation: ILO South Asia’s Michiko Miyamoto and ACMA’s Vinnie Mehta called for tailored ESG models focusing on workforce nutrition and localised supply chains.
- BRSR Alignment: SEBI’s Amarjeet Singh and ACCA’s Helen Brand outlined pathways to align India’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) with global disclosure frameworks.
- Supply Chain Sustainability: UNICEF India’s Bo Beiskjaer and experts from Schneider Electric and Praxis highlighted the need for community-sensitive and equity-anchored value chains.
- Dignified Work & Social Equity: Infosys, ILO, and BMS representatives advocated for social safeguards, formalisation, and ESG integration for India’s labour force.
- Diplomatic Roundtable: MEA officials and foreign dignitaries explored India’s leadership in ESG diplomacy and responsible global trade.
Closing Reflections
Prof. Garima Dadhich, Head of the School of Business Environment at IICA, expressed gratitude to dignitaries, including MoS Shri Harsh Malhotra, Shri Sanjeev Sanyal, and Ms. Cynthia McCaffrey of UNICEF. She underlined the conference’s success in translating ESG principles into actionable policy and business frameworks, especially for MSMEs.
With support from partners like UNICEF India, ICAI, ACCA, SEBI, ILO, and GAIN, NCRBC 2025 stood as a testament to India’s resolve in embedding sustainability, equity, and governance at the heart of business conduct.
“Responsible business is no longer an ethical add-on—it is India’s strategic compass in achieving a Viksit Bharat by 2047.” — Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, DG & CEO, IICA
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