LogoLink Regional Partner For South Asia:

SOCIETY FOR PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH IN ASIA (PRIA), INDIA

The Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) is both a support agency and a networking organization. PRIA provides support and assistance to civil society groups, and in this context also pursues networking as a strategy for its work.

In 1995, PRIA organized its Centre for Local Self-Governance, in response to the opportunities presented by the reforms introduced with the country's 73rd Constitutional Amendment. The Centre campaigned for greater popular participation in the Panchayat elections with public awareness campaigns, and now this work continues through the PRIA network of partners throughout the country.

PRIA also extends capacity building assistance at the Panchayat level for marginalised groups to participate in setting up information systems, participatory planning initiatives, and accountability systems. PRIA has likewise piloted initiatives in urban governance in small and medium-sized towns intended to improve the responsiveness of government services to demands from civil society groups.

The key LogoLink contact in PRIA is Kaustuv K. Bandyopadhyay and Manoj Rai.

For more information on PRIA, visit their website at http://www.pria.org/cgi-bin/lsg.htm.