Programs

(Panchayati Raj Institutions) and address gender issues

Developing capacity and providing handholding support to women elected leaders to actively participate in decision making processes and governing, ensuring democratic leadership.

Developing capacity of women voters through self help groups to engage in Annual Action Plan of the Village Council or Gram Panchayats (GPs), contribute in implementation and monitoring of service delivery & create strong support base for the women leaders.

Key Impact Highlights

• 77 Women Elected Representatives strengthened, with 75% actively participating in local governance and 74% attending all Gram Panchayat meetings regularly.
• Women’s leadership beyond office: 63% of WERs lead or co-lead neighbourhood awareness programmes and case follow-ups with community women’s groups; 30% actively intervene in gender-based violence cases.
• Grassroots democratic engagement scaled: 250+ neighbourhood meetings held annually, reaching 5,000+ women, with 83% of Women elected leaders convening these dialogues ahead of Gram Sansad Sabhas.
• Community priorities formally represented: 130+ neighbourhood action plans submitted every year at Gram Sansad Sabhas.
• Revitalised local democracy: 76% of Gram Sansads (64 of 84) conducted effective, open public meetings, transforming what are often paper-based processes into meaningful civic forums for 1,000+ voters per constituency

(Agro based)

Strategies
Encourage women’s economic entrepreneurship in the communities and sustainable alternate livelihoods in the face of climate change

Strengthen women’s economic and social entreprises and linking them with business skills, understanding, technology and market

Enable a ‘disaster ready community’ under the leadership of women. Pilot technology driven, climate-resilient designs (housing, water, power, communications) as proof of concept for state/national level advocacy and link them to livelihoods opportunities.

Key Achievements | Sustainable Livelihoods & Enterprises

• 333 families strengthened through livelihood-linked agriculture, with seeds, saplings, and chicks distributed through women’s contributions, resulting in 39 quintals of vegetables produced across 6.5 bighas.
• Women-led micro-enterprises established: 44 NJC members run businesses in food processing and handmade products—growing from an initial ₹41,000 collective investment into sustainable income activities.
• Diversified production ecosystem: 5 small-scale production units operational, spanning agro-products, food processing, and eco-friendly goods.
• Metho – a women-owned collective brand: Created and nurtured by Equidiversity Foundation to promote rural women entrepreneurs while supplying pure, affordable agro-products (food) to local households.
• Evidence for scale and resilience: 3 livelihood and market linkage studies completed, alongside a study on cyclone-resilient housing and water systems to inform climate-adaptive planning.

Strategies
Engaging in a dialogue with male political leadership and elected representatives regarding impact of patriarchy and the role that gender equitable governance could play in catalyzing social development.
Preparing the political machine and system to accept, seek and support active women leaders, promote women’s issues through Gender Responsive Budgeting and gender mainstreaming within political party structures.

Key Achievements | Sustainable Livelihoods & Enterprises

• For the first time, children under 18 were given space to speak and be heard in official Gram Sansad Sabhas, strengthening inclusive local democracy.
• Measurable shift in public spending priorities: Between 2016 and 2023–24, budget allocation for women and child development increased from 3.58% to 5.89% across four Gram Panchayats, alongside a 6.2% rise in gender integration across all sub-committees.
• Gender-responsive planning translated into action: Community demands shaped GP annual action plans—resulting in 205 street lights installed, police patrolling in violence hotspots, women’s toilets, change rooms, breastfeeding spaces, children’s parks, kitchen gardens, nurseries, and awareness camps.
• Community ownership of gender equality: Samyo Mela, a community-led gender equality fair, brings together 575+ volunteers annually and shared budget—youth, women, teachers, and local leaders—to make gender justice a visible, shared public agenda.

Key Achievements 

• Child Parliaments established in 22 primary schools, with 465 children elected through a democratic process—53% of them girls.
• 1,350+ children reached every year, creating sustained platforms for participation, leadership, and civic learning.
• Nutrition and care in action: 182 children and 65 youth maintain nutrition gardens across 9 schools and 94 households, strengthening food awareness and collective responsibility.
• Children influencing governance: 475+ children present their priorities directly to Panchayats through Bal Sansad Sabhas.
• Model scaled through public systems: Inspired by successful Child Parliaments in Thiba and Kirnahar II, Bara Sawta Gram Panchayat conducted its own Bal Sansad, gathered 32 child-focused plans, and committed to becoming a child-friendly Panchayat.