We are glad to announce that Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RKMVERI) will be conducting a special colloquium on “Delving deeper into Rural Development – PRADAN’s experience” on 22 August 2025, 12 Noon at Seminar Hall, Narendrapur Campus.

Speaker : Mr. Arnab Chakrabarty, HRD Lead of PRODAN
Co-ordinator: Prof. Abhijit Chakrabarti

Abstract

Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) was founded in 1983 inspired by the belief that well-educated people, with empathy towards the poor, must work directly with them at the grassroots to alleviate mass poverty in rural India. PRADAN always operated with a deep-rooted belief that individuals with knowledge resources and empathy towards the marginalized must work with poor people if mass poverty is to be removed proactively.

PRADAN believes that the path to overcoming economic poverty is through enhancing the livelihood capabilities of the poor and giving them access to sustainable income-earning opportunities.

PRADAN is one of the leaders in promoting rural livelihoods in both farm and non-farm sectors in India. With a long track record of innovations to develop rain-fed farming in undulating and hilly regions, it has been at the forefront in advocating livelihoods focus in government policies and programs to develop land and water resources. It pioneered the Self-Help Group (SHG) model to organise poor women to access mainstream financial services, has developed robust prototypes of rural enterprises suitable for poor households in farm and non-farm sectors and successfully linked poor people to urban markets. It has successfully nurtured community based mechanisms, such as service entrepreneurs, self-help groups, cooperatives and companies to ensure sustainability of development interventions. It has high credibility with state and federal governments, banks and foundations, from whom it leverages development finances for poor families on a large scale.