In 14 states across India, PRIA is working to improve the lives of marginalised and excluded sections of society, through initiatives that address governance, people's participation, empowerment and local level development.

In each state, we gradually build up a platform of some 300 to 400 NGOs, and provide hands-on support, materials and encouragement. Then, through publications, workshops and meetings, we take the lessons learned to provincial and national officials, politicians, academic institutions and the media. What we are really doing is building multi-stakeholder alliances, so that the agenda is jointly owned, rather than just ours alone.

Over the past year, for example, we have worked with an alliance of over 700 civil society organisations in Uttar Pradesh to prepare for the council (panchayat) elections. We want these elections to be fair. We have launched a number of campaigns using all kinds of media, including radio, television, advertisements and leaflets. So far we have reached about half the total eligible voters – that’s some 40 million people. One of our campaigns is a voter registration drive to encourage the many people in remote communities, particularly women, to register to vote. We help people to identify good candidates, and encourage discussions. We provide practical support, such as helping candidates fill out forms, so they won’t have to bribe officials just to get registered. We also work with the state election committee, which gives us both information and legitimacy.
PRIA publishes books, journals, manuals, research reports, and learning materials on a wide range of topics, and organises a number of training courses and post-graduate programmes.
For more information, visit www.pria.org