Rural Development


SAHASH is engaged in a Rapid Development Initiative to establish an agenda for land reform in India. SAHASH is also working closely with Indian policy makers and international donors to resolve land issues. SAHASH focuses on providing land access and improved land rights to the rural poor, to women and other marginalized groups.

Rural land problems in India have not gone unnoticed. In the decades following Independence many Indian States passed land reform laws aimed at broadening the access to rural land. But these efforts, except for a few notable successes, were poorly designed and implemented. Landlords have taken up their cases in courts and have managed to exploit the land while the poor have suffered landless.

SAHASH works with partners including key Government Officials, selected Research Institutions and NGOs to study, develop, communicate and help implement a feasible pro-poor legislative policy and administrative reforms. SAHASH is active in giving suggestions and information about the correct people for whom land is needed and providing proper

information to Government Officials to do the needful. SAHASH also promises to work for meaningful land rights to the rural poor, to women and other marginalized groups. SAHASH raises the issues of water at village level and maintenance of hand pumps as well as wells.

SAHASH has partnered with the University of Agricultural Sciences in a project to provide agricultural extension services to families with small kitchen gardens to help them use their land more efficiently in improving their nutrition and income. SAHASH also works in the development of civic amenities including sanitary facilities, drainage, street development and village development along with State Rural Development Agencies, Zila Parishads and Central Govt.