SKOCH Summit

The primary role of SKOCH Summit is to act as a bridge between felt needs and policy making. Most conferences act like echo-chambers with all plurality of view being locked out. At SKOCH, we have specialised into negotiating with different view-points and bringing them to a common minimum agenda based on felt needs at the ground. This socio-economic dimension is critical for any development dialogue and we happen to be the oldest and perhaps only platform fulfilling this role. It is important to base decisions on learning from existing and past policies, interventions and their outcomes as received by the citizens. Equally important is prioritising and deciding between essentials and nice to haves. This then creates space for improvement, review or even re-design. Primary research, evaluation by citizens as well as experts and garnering global expertise then become hallmark of every Summit that returns actionable recommendations and feed them into the ongoing process of policy making, planning and development priorities.

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India Economic Forum - Financing the Foundations of Inclusive Growth
  • 26th September 2026
  • 09:00 - 14:00
  • India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

India’s development journey has entered a decisive phase. The national aspiration of Viksit Bharat requires not only higher growth, but better growth—growth that reaches beyond metropolitan centres, creates meaningful livelihoods, reduces inequality and remains ecologically sustainable. This is the context in which SKOCH convenes this conference on Inclusive Growth.

SKOCH defines inclusive growth as spatially dispersed, job generative, equitable and sustainable. This definition reflects the reality that growth cannot be judged only by aggregate output or headline investment. It must be assessed by where it occurs, whom it benefits, how many livelihoods it creates, and whether it strengthens or weakens the ecological foundations on which society and the economy depend.

The conference theme, “Financing the Foundations of Inclusive Growth,” recognises that inclusion cannot be achieved by aspiration alone. It requires financing, institutions, accountability and implementation capacity. Clean air, safe water, sanitation, waste systems, resilient cities, local infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation and ecological security are not peripheral environmental concerns. They are public goods. They affect health, productivity, livelihoods, public finance, migration, urbanisation and the quality of life.

The conference will provide a larger public-finance and policy frame for this discussion. India’s next development challenge is to finance growth that is both expansive and responsible. The fiscal architecture must support not only roads, power, industry and digital systems, but also the invisible foundations of liveability and resilience. This includes environmental public goods, stronger local governments, state capacity, sustainable infrastructure and green federalism.

The question before policymakers is no longer whether sustainability matters, but how it should be financed, governed and made central to growth. India must invest in the conditions that make development durable: resilient local economies, clean and efficient urban systems, sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, ecological security, public health, and accountable institutions.

The conference will also underline the importance of sustainability as a core condition for inclusive growth. India’s development model must recognise that environment is not a constraint on development, but one of its foundations. Clean air, safe water, liveable cities, ecological security and climate resilience are not luxuries; they are essential to health, livelihoods and equity. Environmental degradation hurts the poor first and worst, making sustainability central to any serious idea of inclusion.

The conference will bring together public finance, sustainability, development policy and governance into one conversation. Its central proposition is clear: India must finance not only the visible infrastructure of growth, but also the social, ecological and institutional foundations that make growth durable, dispersed, job-generative, equitable and sustainable.

* This summary content is AI generated. It is suggested to read the full transcript for any furthur clarity.