ABOUT US
CNRI unites rural India’s NGOs and civil society — driving grassroots development, farmers’ rights, cooperative economy, and resilience toward a Viksit Bharat.
(CNRI) was born from a simple conviction: that the voice of rural India, so often scattered and unheard, deserves to be gathered into one and carried to the highest tables of the nation. For over two decades, we have stood where governance meets the ground — not apart from the State, but alongside it, as an equal partner in the work of nation-building. Where policy is framed in the corridors of power, we ensure it is felt in the fields, the villages, and the homes that policy is meant to serve.
Across twenty-one years, CNRI has helped a fragmented sector find one voice, brought insurance to the widowed and pensions to the informal worker, carried development out of offices and into villages, loosened the middleman’s grip so farmers could claim their fair share, and taught communities not to wait to be rescued but to build institutions that last.
Our Work
CNRI Impact Areas — Where We Create Change
CNRI’s work spans the full spectrum of rural transformation — from agriculture and livelihoods to gender equity, climate resilience and the digital economy. Across every area, our approach is the same: farmer- and community-centric, evidence-based and built on partnership between civil society, government, academia and industry.
Our Twelve Focus Areas
Policy & Research
Confederation of NGOs of Rural India or CNRI, as it is called, is the largest platform of NGOs in the country to enable them to articulate their aspirations or voice their views and suggestions for the progress and welfare of rural India. Over these years CNRI through its mouth piece, Voice of Rural India, has taken up many issues with the Government, the most important once being agriculture loan burden of the farmers, FDI in retail, non-dilution of Agriculture and Rural Livelihood in the WTO negotiations, opposition to the parochial tendencies of one of the leading political parties of Maharashtra, immediate visit to Nandigram (West Bengal) where atrocities had taken place including death of people on the issue pertaining to forcible land acquisition farmers to promote foreign investment zones and revamping of NREGS to provide for employment as well as long-lasting productive assets and so many more other issues.
Leadership & Professional Team
The strength of the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI) lies in its visionary leadership and highly experienced professional team, dedicated to empowering civil society and driving sustainable rural development across India. Guided by a commitment to inclusive growth, transparency, and social justice, the leadership provides strategic direction while ensuring that the voices of grassroots organizations are represented at regional, national, and international platforms.
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Agriculture & Food Systems in India
Health & Nutrition in India
