Dr. Irfan Khan, Founder, EBG Group
World Environment Day is a reminder that sustainability is no longer a choice; it is a shared responsibility that must guide every decision we make. At EBG Group, our philosophy of ‘People. Planet. Progress.’ reflects our belief that economic growth and environmental care must advance together. Through the EBG Foundation’s ‘Sambhav Hai’ initiative, we have embarked on a mission to help build climate-conscious and carbon-neutral villages across India, beginning with 50 villages in the first phase. The programme aims to reduce village carbon footprints through afforestation, water conservation, waste management, regenerative agriculture, and community-led sustainability practices. Our goal is simple: to demonstrate that climate action, economic progress, and inclusive community development can coexist and thrive together. The future of sustainability will be defined by measurable action on the ground.
The initiative was launched earlier this year with the adoption of Charla Thanda in Telangana’s Nalgonda district as its first pilot village under the “Minus One Village” framework. In Phase 1, EBG Foundation has committed an investment of ₹30 crore to transform 50 villages in the first year, with plans to expand the programme to 150 villages in Year 2 and 750 villages by Year 3 through institutional and government partnerships. The programme aims to achieve a 10–20% reduction in carbon footprints within the first year, while targeting complete carbon neutrality for participating villages within three years through an established model.
Suresh Goyal, Director, EBG Foundation
Climate action can’t be confined to policy discussions and boardrooms; it is time to translate it into measurable change at the grassroots level. With ‘Sambhav Hai’, EBG Foundation is creating a practical and scalable rural sustainability model that empowers communities to become active participants in India’s environmental future. Our focus is to reduce carbon footprints, strengthen water security, improve waste management practices, encourage regenerative agriculture, and build long-term environmental resilience in villages.
We aim to create a replicable framework for climate-conscious and carbon-neutral rural ecosystems under our ‘Minus One Village’ model. As we expand towards our larger vision of reaching hundreds of villages across India, our objective is to demonstrate that sustainability becomes far more impactful when communities themselves lead the transformation. Real environmental progress will come from collective local action supported by long-term commitment.