About

Who we are

India Development Review (IDR) is Asia’s largest independent media platform that advances knowledge and insights on philanthropy and social impact.

Recognised as one of India’s top innovative organisations in 2023, we publish cutting-edge ideas, lessons and insights, written by and for the people working on some of India’s toughest problems. Our writing is fact-based and editorially independent. And our job is to make things simple and relevant, so you can do more of what you do, better

We believe that knowledge has the power to drive change, and we hope that our platform serves as a stage for underserved topics, unheard voices, and the counter-narratives that are crucial to achieving social progress.

Why we exist

Although the development community in India has a vast trove of expertise and wisdom on advancing social change, that knowledge resides in silos, locked in people’s heads or buried within organisations. It seldom reaches the right people, in the right format, or at the right time, for them to act.

This limits access to learning, evidence and best practices, constraining what we can achieve—both individually with our programmes and money, and also collectively as a sector seeking to create impact.

We founded IDR as a nonprofit in 2017, with the objective of surfacing these ideas and insights, so that together we can do more and do right by the millions of Indians whom we work with and for.

IDR aims to become the voice of, and for, the social sector. We hope that our work will help create a sector that is better informed, embraces critical thinking, and therefore functions better.

What we do

IDR focuses on cross-sector solutions to development problems, cutting-edge ideas and research, and real-world practice. We know that knowledge is only a part of the solution for any complex problem; but we also know that it is a crucial part. So, we aim to publish substantive and thought-provoking articles that are rooted in facts, written in clear and simple language, and commissioned by a knowledgeable editorial team.

Our editorial direction is independent of any funder, nonprofit or partner relationship. We hold ourselves accountable to highlighting issues that matter, regardless of whether they belong to little-known grassroots organisations or big-name funders. We write about what has worked but also what has not. And, we showcase the big ideas even as we cover the functional knowledge that helps us strengthen our programmes and organisations.

IDR publishes at least one article every weekday. Many of the learnings and insights that we feature have never been documented digitally, giving them the potential to reach millions of people across the country, and the world. For this reason, with every story we commission or write, we ask whether it will move people to think, feel, or act differently; whether it will help create a sector that functions better.

2000+

articles in 5 years

26%

on under-discussed topics

28

states covered

Whom we serve

IDR is for anyone who is interested in driving social change in India. Our readers span the development community across India—from large metros to smaller towns and far-flung districts.

53%

of IDR readers and contributors are women

41%

of our readers fall between the ages of 25 and 34 

36

states and union territories reached (in terms of IDR readers)

How we work

Our community of contributors includes experts, practitioners, donors, development thinkers and researchers, grassroots workers, and activists. When writing for IDR, they are placing their trust in us as a platform that will responsibly and effectively tell their stories, and share their expertise.

We consider this trust a privilege; and so we travel to where the people and the stories are; for some contributors we translate and transcribe, for others, we help them articulate their work and lessons for a lay audience.

At all times, our primary aim is to share the knowledge of our contributors in a manner that is most true to their experience, most relevant for our readers, and will have the farthest reach. And so, we also focus on getting our contributors’ articles republished in mainstream media.

IDR is a free resource: free to read (we will never go behind a paywall), and free to share or republish under Creative Commons. All articles carry a disclosure statement listing any potential conflict, and authors retain final sign off on all their articles.

2/3

IDR articles have been carried by mainstream media

61

mainstream and online media channels carry IDR stories


Values

Here are the five values that guide what we do, how we do it, and who we do it for. 

Courage 

  1. We challenge the status quo. We stand up for what we believe is right, even when it is unpopular or undervalued. 
  1. We embrace new opportunities with a spirit of experimentation. 
  1. We seek feedback and own our mistakes, so that we can constantly learn and be better. 

Playfulness 

  1. We approach our work with a sense of curiosity and openness.   
  1. Laughter and fun in the workplace are just as important to us as hard work. 

Integrity 

  1. We do what we say and we say what we do. We are honest, reliable, and trustworthy. 
  1. We are guided by a deep commitment to doing right by the communities we serve, and to upholding our values, even when no one is watching. 

Excellence 

  1. We hold ourselves to high standards. We believe that all work—big or small—is deserving of our time, attention, and best efforts. 
  1. We foster a culture of continuous learning and self-reflection—both of which are critical to helping us grow and produce our best work.  

Kindness 

  1. We find strength in community and cultivate relationships with sincerity, grace, and respect. 
  1. We put people at the centre of everything we do and create a culture where everyone feels supported and empowered to do their best work. 

Team

Anjali Mishra-profile
Hindi Editor
Cincy Jose-profile
Editor - Content
Debojit Dutta-profile
Editorial Associate
Derrek Xavier
Editorial Associate
Co-founder and Director
Halima Ansari-profile
Editorial Analyst
Indresh Sharma
Multimedia Editor
jasmine bal-profile
Editorial Analyst
Finance Associate
Kumari Rohini-profile
Hindi Editorial Consultant
Meet Kakadiya-profile
Social Media Associate
Mehek Seth
Social Media Executive
Co-founder and Director
Rajika Seth
Head - IDR Hindi
Rakesh Swami
Editorial Associate
Raveena Kunwar
Digital Marketing Analyst
Saba Kohli Dave
Editorial Associate
Saloni Meghani-profile
Editorial Consultant
Samhith Kanamarlapudi-profile
Product Consultant
Shreya Adhikari-profile
Editorial Associate
Shriya Roy
Multimedia Editor
Co-founder and CEO
Srishti Gupta-profile
Editorial Analyst
Suchorita Datta
Digital Marketing Associate

Board

Former Head - Digital Marketing, Axis Bank
Finance Specialist
Former Head - Talent & Leadership, Godrej Group

Ethics Statement

Our Work

IDR’s mission is to advance knowledge on social impact in India.

Our editorial focus is on cross-sector solutions to development problems, cutting-edge ideas and real-world practice. We know that knowledge is only a part of the solution for any complex problem; but we also know that it is a crucial part. Therefore, we aim to publish substantive, well-written and thought-provoking articles in jargon-free language.

Our editorial direction is independent of any funder, nonprofit or partner relationship. We choose what to write about based on our collective judgement and experience of what will be most interesting and useful for our audiences. Independence, excellence and relevance are our highest priorities.

Voice

IDR works with a diverse community of contributors such as experts, practitioners, funders, researchers, writers, designers and freelancers. A large number of people working or investing in development in India consume, create or contribute to IDR. While we may speak in different voices, we share some core values.

We believe that the development community in India has a vast trove of expertise and wisdom on advancing social change. However, not all of it is accessible, locked as it is in people’s heads or within organisations. It is important to enable access to these valuable lessons, insights and decisions in order to move the field forward.

Operating Principles

IDR’s guiding principles are based on our responsibility to the reader to produce fair, independent and quality content.

Facts

We commission, create and curate content for our readers. For articles written by contributors, we trust that they have verified all facts, charts, graphs and data included in their pieces. Our team also fact checks and verifies all data wherever possible; in cases where data isn’t available, we defer to the expertise of our contributors. When errors are brought to our attention, we correct them right away.

Editorial Opinions

Our editorial content is often written by contributors external to IDR. Any opinion thus expressed should not be construed as an opinion endorsed by the whole organisation.

Governance

India Development Review is a Section 8, nonprofit company. Our board provides financial oversight and corporate governance, and also offers strategic advice to the CEO and senior staff. A complete list of board members can be found on the website.

Relationships with Funders

Since IDR will always feature a variety of voices in the development sector, it is possible that there will be times when a current funder will write for or be featured by IDR. In such instances, we will provide a full disclaimer of the relationship along with the article. As a nonprofit reliant on grant funding, we also maintain full transparency regarding all our funders.

Personal Conflict

In the event that an employee of IDR is a board member or has a spouse, partner, or other close relationship with an employee of an organisation that gets featured on IDR, we will disclose the relationship in the article.

Professional Appearances

Members from our team are often asked to appear in a professional capacity as experts at various conferences, roundtables and on media platforms. These appearances do not constitute endorsement of any organisation or individual that gets discussed.


Funding Partners

People and institutions that currently support and have supported IDR –

Ashish Dhawan
Ashoka Centre For Social Impact and Philanthropy
ATE Chandra Foundation
Axis Bank Foundation
British Asian Trust
Direct Web Access Litd
Dr Reddys Foundation
Edelgive Foundation
Hindustan Unilever Foundation
Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF)*
Fiona and Luis Miranda
Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies
Tata Trusts

*Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation has provided financial support to IDR for the purpose of reporting and publishing stories of public interest. IPSMF does not take any legal or moral responsibility whatsoever for the content published by IDR on their website or any of their other platforms.


Work with us

We are currently looking for a Visual Designer.