Seva Mandir

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Indian grassroot NGO

title: "Seva Mandir" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["organisations-based-in-udaipur", "early-childhood-education-in-india", "development-organizations", "organizations-established-in-1968", "1968-establishments-in-rajasthan"] description: "Indian grassroot NGO" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seva_Mandir" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Indian grassroot NGO ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox organisation"]

FieldValue
nameSeva Mandir
logoSM LOGO MAIN WB.png
formation1968
typeNot for profit
purposeSustainable Development - Natural Resource Development, Livelihood Enhancement, Women Empowerment, Primary Education, Early Childcare and Nutrition, Youth Development, Village Institutions, Peri-Urban Governance
headquartersIndia
locationUdaipur, Rajasthan, India
region_servedUdaipur, Rajsamand, and Sirohi Districts, Rajasthan
leader_titleChief Executive
num_staff400+
websiteSeva Mandir
::

|name = Seva Mandir |logo=SM LOGO MAIN WB.png|logo_size=175px |abbreviation = |formation = 1968 |extinction = |type = Not for profit |status = |purpose = Sustainable Development - Natural Resource Development, Livelihood Enhancement, Women Empowerment, Primary Education, Early Childcare and Nutrition, Youth Development, Village Institutions, Peri-Urban Governance

|headquarters = India |location = Udaipur, Rajasthan, India |region_served = Udaipur, Rajsamand, and Sirohi Districts, Rajasthan |membership = |language = |leader_title = Chief Executive |leader_name = |main_organ = |affiliations = |num_staff = 400+ |num_volunteers = |budget = |website = Seva Mandir |remarks =

Seva Mandir is an Indian grassroot NGO based in Udaipur, in Rajasthan state, founded by Dr. Mohan Sinha Mehta in 1968. Seva Mandir works mainly in natural resource development and sustainability, village development, women empowerment, education and health care, continuing education, and children's welfare.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Seva_Mandir_non-formal_education_center.jpg" caption="Seva Mandir Non-Formal Education Centre.Photo courtesy of [[GiveWell]]."] ::

History

Dr. Mohan Sinha Mehta (a distinguished Indian ambassador and civil servant) founded Seva Mandir in 1968. Initially, the focus of the organisation was to provide Adult Education, ensuring that they had the tools and knowledge to become leaders of their own development.

Between 1973 and 1976, an extreme drought in Udaipur district led Seva Mandir to expand its focus to encompass relief and agriculture extension services. Eventually, the organisation moved to work on empowerment and primary education as well.

Current activities

Development of Natural Resources

Seva Mandir develops water harvesting systems to increase the availability of water for agriculture and clean drinking water for communities. Furthermore, the organisation works on regenerating common land. The majority of the rural and tribal communities depend on the common land for their survival. More than 120 million trees have been planted in an effort to combat climate change.

Women's Empowerment

Seva Mandir run Self-Help Groups, Women's Resource Centres and a shelter home for women who have faced physical and/or mental abuse.

Primary Education

Seva Mandir runs over 140 Shiksha Kendra (bridge schools) in remote rural areas. Shiksha Kendras use an activity-based learning method to teach previously out-of-school children aged between 6–14 years old. A Residential Learning Camp is also run for the same age range.

Youth

Youth Resource Centres are run to connect often left-behind adolescent boys and girls with vocational, life and social skills trainings. A football initiative is used to link the young people in rural and tribal communities with the resource centres.

Peri-urban

Seva Mandir works in 2 peri-urban areas; Delwara and Kelwara, the latter or which is near Kumbhalgarh fort. The organisation works on issues of governance, water availability, waste management, and heritage restoration. A community and heritage walk is also run in Delwara for tourists.

Community Institutions

Seva Mandir creates and facilitates Community Institutions in rural and tribal communities. It is mandated that these institutions are democratically elected and have an equal representation of men, women, and children. Their aim is to take responsibility for their own development and sustain projects after Seva Mandir steps back.

Notable associations

Seva Mandir's research association with Nobel Prize winners Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer began in 1996 and set out to improve the health and educational status of remote rural and tribal communities of Udaipur and Rajsamand districts. The research studies contributed to the global discourse on the alleviation of poverty. Banerjee and Duflo discussed the results of their research with Seva Mandir and other organisations globally in their book Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty.

References

References

  1. ":: Online Resource Centre :: Seva Mandir- Managing Natural Resource for Poverty Alleviation, Some Success Stories from Some Organisations".
  2. (30 November 2018). "CSR : Colgate & Seva Mandir launch Women Empowerment Program and inaugurate an anicut in Alsigarh".
  3. (16 October 2017). "Pushing evidence-based policymaking for the poor".
  4. "Seva Mandir". Innovations for Poverty Action.
  5. "Marking 50 years of Seva Mandir's Existence and Creating a Vision - Aapno Melo". Business Wire India.
  6. "Seva Mandir". Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lan.
  7. "The Republic of My Dreams: The Seva Mandir Story: 1968 - 2018". Harper Collins.
  8. Photo courtesy of [[GiveWell]].
  9. "History {{!}} Seva Mandir".
  10. "Local Governance and Community Empowerment". Georgetown University.
  11. "Seva Mandir partners with L&T for Community Development".
  12. "Common Land & Poor Livestock Keepers Experiences from Common Land Development in the States of Rajasthan & Madhya Pradesh in India". FES.
  13. "Conservation of Common Lands". Seva Mandir.
  14. (11 July 2014). "Democratic Transformation and the Vernacular Public Arena in India". Routledge.
  15. "A Short Stay Home".
  16. (September 2017). "Want to Support Women? Here's How You Can Do It Over a Weekend in Udaipur!".
  17. "Abhijit Banerjee: Focus on weakest pupil". The Telegraph India.
  18. "Pre-School, Play, A Plate of Food: Transforming Tribal Kids In 60 Days". The Better India.
  19. "Corporate Social Responsibility". India Shelter.
  20. "Zinc Football Youth Tournament kicks-off in grand style, DAV HZL Zawar Mines (Boys) and Lucky Football Club (Girls) emerge Champions of Udaipur Zone". Udaipur Kiran.
  21. "Football youth tournament begins in Udaipur, teams from 33 districts will participate". Zee News Hindi.
  22. "InterGlobe Foundation initiates Heritage Restoration and Waste Management In Rajasthan". APN News.
  23. "InterGlobe Foundation restoring a 19th century water structure". The CSR Journal.
  24. "How corporates, civil society can play key roles in preserving heritage". Financial Express.
  25. "Delwara: A heritage walk by Seva Mandir in Rajasthan". Backpack Adventures.
  26. (2014). "Review: Civil Society and Democratization in India: Institutions, Ideologies and Interests". Asian Journal of Social Science.
  27. Shreya Ray. (21 Oct 2011). "Seva Mandir {{!}} Enabling People to Participate".
  28. Pradeep Kumar. (28 October 2019). "अभिजीत बनर्जी - एस्थर डूफ़ेलो को नोबेल दिलाने का उदयपुर कनेक्शन- ग्राउंड रिपोर्ट". BBC News Hindi.
  29. "How Banerjee and Duflo's partners in India view their experiments". The Times of India.
  30. "Esther Duflo: It pays to care about the poor". The Hindu.
  31. "Mindspark In Rajasthan: Personalized Adaptive Learning Tools To Improve Learning Outcomes".

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organisations-based-in-udaipurearly-childhood-education-in-indiadevelopment-organizationsorganizations-established-in-19681968-establishments-in-rajasthan