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About the Centre
The Centre for Social Impact at Chanakya University is a pioneering university-driven initiative in India that fosters leadership, innovation, impactful social research, and community-driven change. Anchored in India’s rich traditions of seva (service) and guided by global best practices, the Centre empowers students, faculty, and community leaders to co-create sustainable solutions for pressing social challenges. Through capacity-building programs, experiential learning, and immersive volunteerism, the Centre equips future leaders with empathy, problem-solving skills, and a commitment to inclusive development. Strategic collaborations with NGOs, local communities, and global partners ensure that interventions are impactful, scalable, contextually relevant, and rooted in the Indic ethos. Research-driven, interdisciplinary programs — such as social innovation challenges, impact evaluations, and baseline surveys in urban slums and villages — aim to cultivate a culture of civic responsibility and transformative action guided by the Sustainable Development Goals. By bridging academic knowledge with grassroots engagement, the Centre aims to cultivate a new generation of changemakers committed to promoting equity, empowerment, and social cohesion—locally rooted and globally resonant.
Vision
To create transformative leaders who contribute to sustainable development through innovative solutions, aligned with global standards and rooted in Indian traditions, through the institutionalization of evidence-based social change by advancing impact measurement frameworks, data-driven decision making, and contextually grounded academic research for the betterment of communities and society at large.
Mission
To empower students and civil society as empathetic change-makers by fostering knowledge, leadership, and innovation. The Centre seeks to catalyse sustainable and inclusive community transformation and advance evidence-based social development through volunteer engagement, social action, rigorous impact studies, and cutting-edge research that bridges global standards with India’s rich traditions of service and social responsibility.
Objectives
Experiential Learning through “Seva”- focused Voluntarism
- To provide students with immersive, hands-on experiences through village surveys, institutionalized voluntarism tackling urban poverty, and social innovation challenges.
- To integrate classroom knowledge with field-based practice to nurture socially responsible graduates.
Empathetic Leadership for Social Transformation
- To cultivate leaders of tomorrow rooted in empathy, ethics, and community service.
- To build capacity among students, civil society, and grassroots leaders and organizations to drive inclusive change as prescribed by SDGs.
Innovation for Impact
- To encourage creative, context-specific solutions to address pressing societal challenges.
- To promote interdisciplinary approaches that combine technology, policy, and community knowledge.
Sustainable Partnerships for Community Engagement
- To collaborate with NGOs, local governments, and international partners.
- To foster long-term solutions that benefit communities directly.
Empowerment of Civil Society and Community Leaders
- To strengthen the skills and voices of SHG leaders, panchayat members, and grassroots workers.
- To position civil society actors as key drivers of development.
Sustainable, Purpose-driven Solutions
- To develop indigenous frameworks for social impact measurement and evaluation.
- To establish a Centre of Excellence to study and scale interventions in centring alleviation of urban poverty and slum development.
Advisory Board
Venkatesh Murthy
Dr. M A Balasubramanya
Savita Sulugodu
Satish Kattimani
Prof. D Rajasekhar
Faculty Members
Sudeshna Mukherjee, Ph.D.
Director, Centre for Social Impact, Associate Professor
MA, MPhil, PhD, NET in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Public Policy (IIM, Kolkata)
Area of Specialization: Gender, Development, Public Policy, Geriatric Issues
Tukaram Badiger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Centre for Social Impact
Ph.D. in Social Work from the Central University of Karnataka. He has qualified both UGC-NET and SLET, and is an NFSC awardee.
Area of Specialization: Rural Development, Livelihood Promotion, Education, Social Defence, and Human Resource Management.
Kathik Gowda
Volunteer Coordinator
Master’s in Social Work
Activities/ Projects
Ongoing Project: “Integrating Indic Ethics into Child Care and Rehabilitation: An Impact Evaluation Study of ‘Dharma’-Based Child and Adolescent Care at Nele Foundation”
Developing an Impact Assessment Framework Inspired by Bhartiya Chintan
Southern regional NGO Roundtable Meeting (Oct-Nov 2025) for dialogue and collaboration for Capacity building
National Seminar titled “Resilient Cities, Inclusive Growth: Rethinking Urban Poverty and Slum Interventions through the SDGs” in March-April, 2026
Social Action Projects
- Student Voluntarism Supported by Youth for Seva in nearby villages and Slums
- Free tuition support for the students of “Sparsha”—a home for orphans and underprivileged girls
Contact Us
sudeshna.m@chanakyauniversity.edu.in
tukaram.b@chanakyauniversity.edu.in
karthik.j@chanakyauniversity.edu.in