The government appointed senior bureaucrat Deepti Gaur Mukerjee as the new Higher Education Secretary, according to an official order.
According to official records, Mukerjee earlier served as the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Secretary.
In her valedictory address at the national conference and exhibition on ‘Leveraging CSR Excellence for Tribal Development’ 2025, Mukerjee commended Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) for curating a collaborative platform bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and community practitioners to advance tribal development.
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The bureaucrat also proposed the creation of an interactive digital platform (revamped CSR Exchange) to facilitate convergence between government and corporate efforts, enabling project mapping, identification of collaboration opportunities, and sharing of best practices and impact stories.
Mukerjee further emphasised that community participation is central to the long-term sustainability of CSR initiatives, urging practitioners to involve communities from project design through implementation, strengthen local leadership, and promote participatory, community-owned models.
Highlighting the potential of tribal communities in India, she called for prioritizing tribal leadership, self-reliance, and culturally sensitive approaches.
