EDII’s impact-driven Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in collaboration with noted corporates focus on empowering women, artisans, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and marginalized communities by fostering entrepreneurship, enhancing skills and enabling market access.
Promoting Handloom Excellence
Under the HandMade in India (HMI) initiative supported by HSBC, EDII hosted a landmark event on February 19, 2026, bringing together industry leaders, experts, institutional representatives, designers and artisans. A key highlight of the programme was the thematic handloom fashion show ‘Threads of Heritage’, which celebrated the journey of handloom from tradition to contemporary expressions, featuring sustainable collections created by weavers from Bhuj (Gujarat) and Erode (Tamil Nadu). The showcase unfolded through thematic rounds ‘Heritage Hues – Handloom Revival’ and ‘The Original Sustainable Fashion’
The event featured a high-level Industry Round Table Meet on ‘Quality Assurance and Brand Building in India’s Handloom Sector: Tools, Techniques and Best Practices’. The session was attended by industry experts and practitioners to discuss quality standards, branding strategies, design innovation and market linkages for strengthening artisan enterprises.
WEutsav: Celebrating Women Entrepreneurship
To give a bigger platform to women, a WEutsav Exhibition was organized by Women Entrepreneurs Access Connect Transform (WeAct) on February 14, 2026. The exhibition came across as a powerful platform to celebrate and promote rural women entrepreneurs by providing them with exposure to real market environments. The exhibition brought together entrepreneurs from 10 states, featuring 15 product-selling stalls and 10 state-specific experiential zones, where visitors could directly interact with artisans and learn about traditional crafts. The exhibition witnessed a footfall of over 2000 visitors, benefiting more than 2000 WeAct members. Entrepreneurs collectively generated approximately Rs. 10 lakhs through on-site sales.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII. Also present at the event were Mr. Daniel Thomas, Vice President – CSR, Accenture; Mr. Yathindra L, Director, National Institute of Fashion Technology; Ms. Pinaki Srimany, Associate Vice President – CSR, Standard Chartered; Mr. Suneel Kumar, Joint Director, District Industries Centre, Bengaluru; Ms. Kirthika Tharan, Founder, Hepta Senz and Dr. Raman Gujral, Director, Department of CSR Partnerships, EDII.
WeAct member Ms. Noorjahan (Pondicherry) was honoured with the University of Notre Dame Award for business building and creating sustainable economic impact through her enterprise. Ms. Sajini and Ms. Renuka (WeAct members) were awarded grants of Rs. 1,70,000 each under the Coca- Cola Micro grant, i n recognition of their efforts to create sustainable livelihoods and drive economic empowerment at the grassroots level.
WeAct introduced NFC-enabled cards for members who are consistently scaling their businesses. This technology intervention serves as a step towards digital empowerment, enabling entrepreneurs to enhance their business prospects, improve customer engagement and adopt modern, tech-enabled solutions.
In a bid to expand support mechanism for rural entrepreneurs in Kerala and the potential benefits of establishing a Common Facility Centre, recently EDII had an elaborate discussion with Mr. Daniel Thomas, Vice President – CSR, Accenture, who had visited EDII Kerala office in Thrissur. The discussions reinforced the need to strengthen enterprise support systems. Ms. Keerthana Sheshadri, National Grants Manager, Accenture, visited the EDII office in Assam and interacted with two enterprise clusters in Kamrup district for maximising results.
The Vocal for Local 2026 exhibitions were organized under WeAct to promote local products, crafts and cultural enterprises. Under this initiative, more than 10 Vocal for Local stalls were organized across rural districts in Bihar, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. The initiative witnessed the participation of over 100 beneficiaries, collectively generating more than Rs. 3 Lakhs in sales.
Skill Development and Enterprise Promotion Initiatives
- Skills to Succeed – Micro Skill-preneurship Development Programme (MSDP), supported by Accenture Solutions Pvt. Ltd.: Under the initiative five MSDPs were successfully completed, empowering 300 women with income-generating skills. These women will further receive focussed skill training for enterprise establishment.
- Udyamee 2.0, supported by Utkal Alumina International Ltd. (UAIL): 179 aspiring entrepreneurs were oriented on Business Opportunity Identification (BOI). During the last two months, several UDYAM and FSSAI Registrations were completed, and 58 new entrepreneurs were registered. On March 24, 2026, a sensitisation programme was conducted, benefiting 50 participants.
- Project RISE, backed by Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI): 3 Enterprise Growth Programmes (EGPs) were conducted in Kamrup, Assam, reaching out to 76 entrepreneurs. The sessions enhanced business management skills and provided strategic insights into scaling enterprises, resulting in the establishment of 2 group enterprises and completion of 3 FSSAI registrations and 4 Udyam registrations.
- Project UDAYA 4.0, supported by Tata Communications Ltd.: 2 Specialized Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDPs) were conducted for Persons with Disability (PwDs) at Panvel and Ratnagiri, training 53 PwDs.
- Project SANKALP, supported by Standard Chartered Global Business Services (SCGBS): 4 MSDPs were conducted in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on millet-based value-added products, handicraft & hand embroidery, eco-friendly jewellery and eco-friendly jute bag making. 140 women successfully completed the training. 20 Udyam registrations, 10 FSSAI registrations and 35 artisan cards procurement were completed, enabling the participants to formalize their enterprises and access government schemes.
- Project HAL – Micro Skillpreneurship Development Programmes (MSDPs), supported by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL): In a recent MSDP organized at Kolar where 320 beneficiaries of four trades (fashion, jute product making, food and mobile repairing technology) were awarded training completion certificates. Also, 200 Udyam registration certificates were procured. Encouragingly, loan sanction letters worth more than Rs. 27 lakhs were given to 30 entrepreneurs in three trades (food, jute and fashion) to support their businesses. Beneficiaries in the Gauribidanur region were trained in trades such as jute product making and food processing. The participants also gained hands-on skills for sustainable livelihoods. A total of 46 beneficiaries were awarded certificates along with procurement of 38 Udyam registration certificates.
- Project Aarohan, Supported by Tata Power Mundra: Technology Integration and Exposure for Women Entrepreneurs
10 women beneficiaries of Project Aarohan, Supported by Tata Power Mundra participated in the AI Summit held at Bharat Mandapam on 17th February 2026, taking an important step towards bolstering rural entrepreneurship with emerging technologies. The summit provided them with valuable insights into Artificial Intelligence, digital tools and market relevant skills, enabling them to envision new possibilities for their enterprises and livelihoods.
Project Aarohan team celebrated International Women’s Day on March 9, 2026. The event served as a platform to recognize and encourage the efforts of women artisans associated with the project. A well-curated product exhibition was also organized, enabling participants and guests to experience the craftsmanship and innovation of trained women.
Effective partnerships have resulted in improved business practices as well as evolution of new businesses, patching pace with the times. I am sure this balance between the visions of institutions and corporates will continue yielding sustainable new-age enterprises and entrepreneurs.
- Project Saksham, supported by Bajaj Finserv Limited, aims to enhance the financial and digital literacy of nano, micro and small entrepreneurs to help maximize their revenues. Project Saksham is being implemented across five districts of Uttar Pradesh and seven districts in Gujarat, with the objective of empowering 4,500 entrepreneurs for sustainable enterprise growth. During the last two months, under the Project Saksham, nine three-day training programmes on financial & digital literacy and product development workshops were conducted across twelve districts, benefiting 488 nano, micro and small entrepreneurs.
March 23, 2026: Ms. Ujwala Patil, Manager – CSR, Bajaj Finserv Ltd. and Mr. Mohit T, Manager – CSR, Bajaj Finserv Ltd., visited EDII for discussions with Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, on the activities undertaken under Project Saksham and the future plans.
- Project LIC HFL Sangam: Over the last two months, EDII conducted five Micro-Skillpreneurship Development Programmes (MSDPs) under the CSR initiatives of LIC Housing Finance Limited, project LIC HFL Sangam at Goalpara, Assam. The programmes focused on banana fibre extraction and its value-added applications, including creation of handloom, handicrafts and vermicompost products. 125 beneficiaries actively engaged in hands-on sessions, acquiring practical skills and entrepreneurial knowledge. The programmes created a meaningful impact at the grassroots by imparting understanding on the principles of a circular economy, where resources are efficiently utilized, reused and regenerated to create value, underlining ‘waste to wealth’.
Driving Growth, Transformation and Livelihood Creation…the 10-year Partnership with Accenture
EDII and Accenture mark a landmark milestone in their partnership, strategically underlining sustainable and scalable impact. Through flagship initiatives like Skills to Succeed, WeAct, and the Eco Learning Hub, the collaboration has meaningfully contributed to, and is aligned with Accenture’s vision and priorities. This collective resolve was further reinforced on 23rd February 2026, during a high-level Corporate Citizenship leadership meeting at EDII’s Southern Regional Office in Bengaluru.
Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General – EDII, had an online interaction with Accenture’s senior officials. He recapped how various interventions had been curated and implemented to induce inclusive growth and long-term empowerment.
- Scaling Tribal Entrepreneurship …Project Aaranya Udyamita
Recognising the economic, social and ecological importance of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), EDII, with the support of ICICI Foundation has launched Project Aaranya Udyamita to promote the growth of tribal entrepreneurship across tribal belts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, with training, capacity building and handholding.
EDII with the support of ICICI Foundation is implementing ‘Aaranya Udyamita’ across tribal-dominated locations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The initiative focuses on supporting tribal communities engaged in the collection and primary processing of non-timber forest produce. The mandates of the project are being achieved by creating awareness and supporting them in establishing organised enterprises. “The idea is to create a win-win situation for the tribal population engaged in the process by ensuring organized enterprises for them and also for the consumers by making available organic, chemical-free products to them,” informed Programme Director, Dr. Satya Ranjan Acharya, Professor & Director – Department of Entrepreneurship Education, EDII.
17 potential group enterprises, including SHGs, FPOs and other community institutions, were identified under this project across the implementation areas – four each from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and five from Maharashtra. The project is facilitating the establishment of micro-processing units for non-timber forest produce. The Institute extended support to the identified groups by providing assistance in procuring tools and machinery, installing solar panels, providing fire safety equipment, providing first-aid kits, and facilitating initial working capital amounting to approximately Rs. 33,51,600. In last two months, along with the establishing micro-processing units, the institute conducted 17 Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes (EAPs) benefiting to 510 people from the tribes. Also, 34 Entrepreneurship Development Training Programmes (EDTPs) were conducted focusing on imparting basic knowledge on business planning, financial know-how, value addition techniques and market orientation. Aaranya Udyamita initiative aims to create sustainable livelihood avenues for tribal communities through enterprise orientation, capacity building, infrastructure support and market facilitation.
