Following independence, India created a strong, centralized federal government. Federal power exponentially increased to unify the newly formed nation and to establish extensive administrative control—a difficult proposition in India. The federal government, however, faced major obstacles in successfully implementing change and enforcement throughout the country. Over three quarters of the Indian population continue to live in rural villages and nearly 600,000 villages exist throughout the country. A large, bureaucratic federal government inevitably struggles to coordinate and manage all of these diverse communities, separated by geography, religion, and language. The needs and priorities of these villages are hard to identify and are frequently overlooked. This has created a huge gap between the government and its citizens, and has led to problems with the quality of health care, schooling, labor rights, and other social services in many rural communities.

Forms of local governance have emerged to ensure that all Indian citizens have justice and equality. Success in grassroots governance is largely due to the work of many NGOs that focus on community development in rural areas. Road construction, rights for migrant laborers, and improvements in waste management are all examples of recent achievements that village community groups were recently afforded after collaboration with local NGOs.

Many in Rajasthan remain ignorant about their legal rights and are totally isolated from their political system. FSD works to empower local communities by assisting local NGOs to form village-level seminars, provide training programs, and organize rallies. These organizations work directly in these communities to establish local management committees, which generate awareness and encourage political and social change. Additionally FSD partner organizations focus on researching the success of past grassroots organizations and work to create models for demanding legal rights. These NGOs are extremely effective agents for change, but continue to need help with public relations, impact assessment reports, and the facilitation of educational workshops within these communities.

Read more about Community Development programs and opportunities initiated by our Community Partners in India.

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