Development Alternatives Group

Development Alternatives Group 40 years of delivering EcoSolutions. www.devalt.org

The mission of the Development Alternatives Group is to promote inclusive, equitable and resilient national development, through the creation of sustainable livelihoods on a large scale. Through clean technology packages, micro-enterprise solutions and collaborative institutional ecosystems, we bridge practice and policy, and work with partners to mobilise widespread action to eradicate poverty an

d regenerate the environment. DA's work addresses the three poly-crises of our times - Jobs, Resources and Climate - through impact in three areas: Livelihood Security & Inclusive Entrepreneurship, Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy and Climate Change & Ecosystem Restoration. The organisation has built up a strong capacity to identify priority issues confronting the nation and devise effective ways to solve them. It brings together over 120 professionals with a wide range of skills and backgrounds but a common, spirited commitment to excellence and teamwork.

Our first instinct when a device stops working is often to replace it.But what if the better question is:Can it be repai...
22/08/2026

Our first instinct when a device stops working is often to replace it.
But what if the better question is:
Can it be repaired?

The most sustainable device can be the one we don't replace. Extending the life of an electronic product through repair, reuse and refurbishment can help keep products and resources in use for longer, before they eventually reach the recycling stage.

A circular approach is not only about what happens to electronics after they are discarded. It is also about making what we already have last longer.

So, before an old phone, laptop, appliance or electronic device is sent for recycling, consider the possibilities:
· Repair it.
· Reuse it.
· Give it another life.

As part of our partnership with Karo Sambhav and Haqdarshak, we are exploring pathways towards a more circular electronics ecosystem, one that recognises the value of extending product life. Sometimes, the most sustainable choice is simply to use what we already have for longer.

Watch this space for more updates.

Refurbishment Sustainability ResponsibleConsumption DevelopmentAlternatives KaroSambhav Haqdarshak

What happens when an electronic device reaches the end of its useful life? It doesn't simply disappear.Discarded electro...
21/08/2026

What happens when an electronic device reaches the end of its useful life? It doesn't simply disappear.

Discarded electronics remain part of our ecosystem, and when they are not managed responsibly, valuable resources can end up as waste. This makes the way we deal with electronics just as important as the way we produce and consume them.

Repair, reuse and responsible recycling can help us keep materials and resources in circulation for longer, while reducing the pressure created by a growing stream of discarded electronics.

A circular electronics economy asks us to look beyond the moment of disposal, and rethink what happens next.

Through our partnership with Karo Sambhav and Haqdarshak, Development Alternatives is joining forces to contribute to a more circular approach to electronics, where resources are valued beyond their first use.

Because what we call waste may still hold value.

Watch this space for more updates.

On 6 August, we gathered in Lucknow for a ‘roundtable on Re-imagining Credit for Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Uttar Pra...
20/08/2026

On 6 August, we gathered in Lucknow for a ‘roundtable on Re-imagining Credit for Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh’ — a conversation that brought together entrepreneurs, banks, NBFCs, microfinance institutions, development finance actors and practitioners, around one practical question: how do growth-oriented enterprises get the credit they need to grow and create jobs?

Before the working sessions began, the roundtable opened with an udyaME Chaupal.

Four entrepreneurs from Uttar Pradesh spoke about what they had already built and how they had financed it. Each one had a clear next stage in mind — and a specific investment that would get them there.

Seeta Devi from Varanasi, had financed her first e-rickshaw and was now ready to buy two more and employ other women drivers.

A decorative-products entrepreneur, Pratibha from Jhansi had accessed ₹5 lakh through a government scheme. She was now looking for ₹10 lakh to set up a manufacturing facility and create more work for women.

Shiv, an entrepreneur from Mirzapur, running an RO water business had taken an ₹8 lakh private loan at 18% interest because he found the institutional route harder to navigate. His next step was investment in machinery and white-label bottling.

An LED manufacturer, Shashi Devi from Mirzapur had already used two bank loans to build her business. To diversify, she now needed another ₹5 lakh — but she also needed technical training. Capital alone would not get her there.

These four very different business stories raised an important question.

What happens when the entrepreneur grows, but the finance available to them does not grow in the same way?

A first loan may help someone buy an asset or start production. The next one may need to finance machinery, additional vehicles, working capital or a larger facility. By then, the entrepreneur may already have a repayment history, customers and a functioning business.

Yet moving to the next level of formal finance can still mean starting another process almost from scratch.

That is where the Chaupal connected directly with the working sessions that followed. Participants discussed how existing repayment histories with SHGs, MFIs and community institutions could become more useful to the next lender; how businesses could become better prepared for credit; and how entrepreneurs who have demonstrated their ability to use and repay smaller loans could have a clearer path to larger finance.

The Chaupal was a reminder that “access to credit” can mean very different things depending on where an entrepreneur is in her or his journey.

And behind each of those investments is the possibility of a business growing — and creating work for someone else.

We often think about electronics from the moment they reach our hands, the phone we use, the laptop we work on, the appl...
19/08/2026

We often think about electronics from the moment they reach our hands, the phone we use, the laptop we work on, the appliances we rely on every day.

But every device has a story that begins much earlier.

It starts with resources, materials and people. From the materials that go into making a device to the people and processes involved in bringing it to us, every electronic product has a footprint long before it becomes part of our everyday lives.

Understanding this journey is the first step towards rethinking how we consume, use and eventually discard electronics.

As we begin a new chapter in circularity through our partnership with Karo Sambhav and Haqdarshak, we are looking at electronics not just as products, but as part of a larger ecosystem, one where resources can be valued, products can have longer lives, and waste can be reimagined.

The journey towards a circular electronics economy begins by understanding where it all starts.

Watch this space for more updates


| Sustainable cities are not built with materials alone. They are built with vision.As Bihar's construction sector con...
19/08/2026

| Sustainable cities are not built with materials alone. They are built with vision.

As Bihar's construction sector continues to expand, integrating sustainable materials into planning and construction is becoming essential for reducing embodied carbon, improving resource efficiency, and building climate-resilient urban centres.

Through the Build Bihar initiative, 'Transforming the Built Environment in Bihar through Sustainable Materials', Development Alternatives worked with government departments, academia and industry to develop one of the state's first comprehensive evidence bases on low-carbon construction.

The initiative combined technical research, policy engagement and stakeholder dialogue to identify practical pathways for mainstreaming sustainable construction materials in Bihar's built environment.

The project culminated in a state-level baseline assessment, strategic policy recommendations, and a multi-stakeholder consultation that brought together government, academia and industry to collectively shape the conversation on sustainable construction in Bihar.

Because transforming the built environment begins with informed decisions, collaborative action, and evidence that guides policy.

At the Roundtable on 'Reimagining Credit for Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh', convened by Development Alter...
18/08/2026

At the Roundtable on 'Reimagining Credit for Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh', convened by Development Alternatives in Lucknow with support from HSBC India, one question anchored the day: how do growth-oriented enterprises get the credit they need to grow and create jobs?

The room brought together entrepreneurs, banks, NBFCs, microfinance institutions, development finance actors and practitioners, where the conversation moved beyond identifying the credit gap to asking what could help bridge it.

Shrashtant Patara, Chief Executive, opened the day drawing on DA's four decades of work building local economies in UP.

Kanika Verma, Executive Vice President, stressed that credit alone is not enough: “For enterprises to grow, finance needs to come together with market access and institutional support. That requires government, finance and local institutions to work together — as we have seen in Mirzapur.”

Romit Sen, Senior Vice President – Sustainability at HSBC India, described the ambition as helping enterprises move from "coping" to "growing" to "compounding."

The highlight of the day was the udyaME Chaupal, where four entrepreneurs opened the conversation by sharing their enterprise journeys — how they had grown their businesses, the finance that had shaped them, and the capital they needed to get to the next stage.

The highlight of the day was the udyaME Chaupal, where four entrepreneurs opened the conversation by sharing their enterprise journeys — how they had grown their businesses, the finance that had shaped them, and the capital they needed to get to the next stage.

Four working groups looked at the challenge from different angles — reducing the cost of reaching entrepreneurs, de-risking lending, building pathways from institutional to commercial credit, and matching loan sizes to enterprise stage.

What emerged was practical. Entrepreneurs need support to become credit-ready. SHG, CLF and MFI records could help lenders assess them better. Risk-sharing works alongside sound underwriting. And those who repay well need a clearer route to larger finance as they grow.

We are grateful to everyone who made the day possible.

A special thank

At the Roundtable on 'Reimagining Credit for Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh', convened by Development Alter...
18/08/2026

At the Roundtable on 'Reimagining Credit for Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh', convened by Development Alternatives in Lucknow with support from HSBC India, one question anchored the day: how do growth-oriented enterprises get the credit they need to grow and create jobs?

The room brought together entrepreneurs, banks, NBFCs, microfinance institutions, development finance actors and practitioners, where the conversation moved beyond identifying the credit gap to asking what could help bridge it.

Shrashtant Patara, Chief Executive, opened the day drawing on DA's four decades of work building local economies in UP.

Kanika Verma, Executive Vice President, stressed that credit alone is not enough: “For enterprises to grow, finance needs to come together with market access and institutional support. That requires government, finance and local institutions to work together — as we have seen in Mirzapur.”

Romit Sen, Senior Vice President – Sustainability at HSBC India, described the ambition as helping enterprises move from "coping" to "growing" to "compounding."

The highlight of the day was the udyaME Chaupal, where four entrepreneurs opened the conversation by sharing their enterprise journeys — how they had grown their businesses, the finance that had shaped them, and the capital they needed to get to the next stage.

Four working groups looked at the challenge from different angles — reducing the cost of reaching entrepreneurs, de-risking lending, building pathways from institutional to commercial credit, and matching loan sizes to enterprise stage.

What emerged was practical. Entrepreneurs need support to become credit-ready. SHG, CLF and MFI records could help lenders assess them better. Risk-sharing works alongside sound underwriting. And those who repay well need a clearer route to larger finance as they grow.

We are grateful to everyone who made the day possible.

A special thank you to HSBC India —a long-standing partner in our journey to advance micro-entrepreneurship and build more resilient, inclusive local economies.

To our partners, Givfunds, Impact Lens, Haqdarshak, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), Gram Vaani — thank you for bringing your expertise and willingness to think differently about this segment.

To the banks, NBFCs and MFIs in the working sessions — thank you for engaging openly with what the system could look like.

To the consultants and practitioners who shaped the conversation — Kiran Limaye, Prema Gera, Vijay Sai Pratap, Amit Garg, Aniket Doegar, Arbind Singh Ji.

And most importantly, to the four entrepreneurs who reminded the room why this work matters.

The next step is turning these ideas into focused pilots.

| Water resilience is ultimately a question of systems, how ecosystems function, how communities participate, and how ...
15/08/2026

| Water resilience is ultimately a question of systems, how ecosystems function, how communities participate, and how institutions sustain what works.

The latest edition of our DA Newsletter, “Water for Tomorrow: Conservation and Resilience,” examines this intersection, tracing the pathway from restoring ponds, wetlands and rivers to building the governance and collective stewardship needed to sustain them.

To read, click here: https://devalt.org/newsletter/93-water-for-tomorrow:-conservation-and-resilience

15/08/2026

| India’s journey has been one of remarkable change, shaped by new ideas, evolving aspirations and the ability to respond to a changing world.

As we look ahead, that capacity will matter more than ever: in our communities, our institutions, our enterprises and in the imagination of a new generation.

This Independence Day, we celebrate the possibilities that lie ahead for India and the many ways in which they can be realised.

Development Alternatives wishes you a Happy Independence Day.

Ladakh invites us to look beyond the spectacle of its mountains, to the delicate ecological and social systems that sust...
11/08/2026

Ladakh invites us to look beyond the spectacle of its mountains, to the delicate ecological and social systems that sustain life here.

Through its Community Resource Management Programme, Development Alternatives is working with local partners to advance ecotourism, sustainable waste management and green construction, helping communities navigate the complex relationship between tourism, livelihoods and ecological limits.

The challenge lies in finding a balance where tourism and development create opportunity while remaining sensitive to the ecological limits and community realities of the region.

Because the future of fragile places depends not only on how deeply we admire them, but on how thoughtfully we choose to visit, engage with and protect them.

Every journey begins with wonder. The responsibility begins there too.

DevelopmentAlternatives Himalayas

Address

B-32, Tara Crescent, Qutub Institutional Area
New Delhi
110001

Telephone

+911126544100

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Development Alternatives Group posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Development Alternatives Group:

Shortcuts

Share