Gram Bharati Samiti 

Gram Bharati Samiti (GBS) which means Society for rural development, is a NGO committed to establish a society based on humanitarian, democratic values and ecologically balanced habitat. It is based in the Rajasthan state of India that consists 60% of whole of the desert of the country with scanty rainfall as low as 313 mm in the western and 675 mm in the Eastern part of the state. GBS’s main focus has been on developing wastelands (uncultivable infertile, undulated barren sandy lands) and improving the quality of life of particularly the poor people of backward castes of the rural areas. During the past 32 years it has implemented several wasteland development projects including the following activities:

• Stabilizing sand dunes
• Plugging deep gullies to conserve soil and moisture
• Harvesting rain water
• Restoring traditional water structures i.e. wells, step wells, village ponds, mud dams etc.
• Regenerating indigenous species of medicinal plants
• Training women leaders of Self Help Groups (SHG) and youth volunteers on environmental issues
• Vocational training and skill development among the shepherd women
• Training the youth on producing and promoting organic manure and pesticides

One of its wasteland development project named ‘GANDHIVAN’ was recognized and appreciated widely and conferred with various national/international awards. UNDP placed it as a success story of wasteland development.

Being a founding member and vice president of RIOD India GBS have been associated with UNCCD since its inception. The organisation has organized training workshops for 110 NGOs on the implementation of UNCCD in 14 states of India. GBS also served as the NGO observer from Asia Pacific in the Clean Technology Fund Committee of the World Bank for two years.

Telephone number: + 91 141 2530719, 2531242

Website: www.gbsjaipur.org

Contact Person: Bhawani Shanker Kusum

E-mail: gbsbsk@sancharnet.in; bskusum@gmail.com

Location

Amber Bhawan, Amber, Jaipur 302028 India