The Development Alternatives Group is a social enterprise and think tank organisation based in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

involved in

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

. It is composed of divisions that focus on the fields of green economic development, social empowerment and environmental management.

History

The Development Alternatives Group was established in 1982 as a social enterprise setup by Ashok Khosla to create sustainable solutions for social and economic development. In November 2022, Development Alternative hosted an event on creating green-enterprises.

Group

The Development Alternatives Group comprises the not-for-profit flagship Society for Development Alternatives (DA), the business-oriented incubator Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA), and its commercial subsidiaries, which include TARA Machines and Tech Services (TMTS), TARA Environmental Services Pvt Ltd (TARAenviro), TARAhaat Information and Marketing Services Ltd (TARAhaat), TARA Nirman Kendra (TNK) and DESI Power Orchha Pvt Ltd (DESI Power).

TARA Machines and Tech Services (TMTS)

TARA Machines and Tech Services Pvt. Ltd., delivers

green business Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

solutions to

small and medium enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organizat ...

(SMEs) for building construction,

waste recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...

, and

handmade paper Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is made using industrial machinery, while handmade paper survives as a speciali ...

production. TMTS is a specialist company in Eco-concrete Technology, Eco-Kiln Technology, Fly Ash Technology, and Recycling Technology.

TARAhaat Information and Marketing Services Ltd (TARAhaat)

Launched in 2000, TARAhaat Information and Marketing Services Ltd. introduced Information Technology (IT) services in rural India. These services include literacy, vocational skills, and other products needed in rural communities.

TARA Environmental Services Pvt Ltd (TARAenviro)

Incorporated in 2008, TARAenviro, a part of the Development Alternatives Group, is a private company that markets water testing kits and filters under the Jal-TARA brand, which helps test the potability of water and offers cost-effective solutions for improving water quality. TARAenviro products: * Jal – TARA Water Testing Kits * Jal – TARA Water Filters * TARA Aqua-check vials

Development Alternatives Programs

Radio Bundelkhand

Based at TARAgram

Orchha Orchha is a town, near the city of Niwari in the Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by a Bundela Rajput ruler Rudra Pratap Singh some time after 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state ...

, DA’s Technology Centre at

Tikamgarh Tikamgarh (also spelled as Tikamgadh)is a town and a tehsil in Tikamgarh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city serves as a district headquarters. The earlier name of Tikamgarh was Tehri (i.e., a triangle) consisting of thr ...

district of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

, Radio Bundelkhand is an ICT-based

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...

initiative started by Development Alternatives (DA) and jointly managed by the local community and DA.

References

{{Reflist Environmental organisations based in India Organizations established in 1982 1982 establishments in Delhi Organisations based in Delhi