India is amongst the youngest countries in the world, with 67% of its population in the working-age group and another 100 million people expected to be added to the workforce by 2030. The country has one of the highest demographic dividends in the world, providing an unprecedented opportunity to develop and grow richer, complemented by an annual increase in GDP of 8% in the last three decades. And yet, India’s rapid and consistent economic growth has failed to translate into job opportunities for 45 million unemployed youth: making jobless growth one of the most pressing concerns for the country. There is a growing need for innovative approaches to realign the current ecosystem of economic development with job creation to reset the growth trajectory to make it more inclusive, especially for those who have been left behind in the ‘job race’.

For entrepreneurship and livelihood, Development Alternatives (DA) supports local communities by designing social innovations and systemic prototypes. These initiatives foster green job creation and stimulate the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Through innovation, which is social in purpose, systemic in nature, and inclusive by design, we are creating systemic changes for empowering sustainable livelihoods for youth and women. This we do in the following manner:

1. Inclusive Entrepreneurship: Enabling systemic change through robust ecosystems that enable access to entrepreneurship opportunities for all, thereby leading to social inclusion, quality employment, and sustainable economic growth.
2. Sustainable Enterprises: Promoting ‘Local Green Enterprises’ as vehicles of change through inclusive, community-driven, circular, and regenerative business models and practices.
3. Empowering communities: Facilitating effective and innovative solutions to deal with the decent work deficit and empowering young people to take up aspiration-driven work opportunities.