The Development Alternatives Group was the first social enterprise setup to create and deliver sustainable solutions for social and economic development.

Established in 1982, the Development Alternatives Group pioneered the concept of business-like approaches for eradicating poverty and conserving the natural resource base on which human development depends.

The TARA Balram Mudblock Press addresses the problem of families in India who cannot afford steel and cement for their houses. It compresses ordinary earth into solid building bricks that need no firing. Thus it saves the precious topsoil, needed for agriculture, and scarce forest resources, needed for human survival. TARA Balram can produce upto 600 blocks in one day if the mix is prepared manually. . Since the Balram is manual and highly labour intensive, the money generated through its use largely stays within the community.

A clean, efficient and safe metal cook stove. TARA has introduced its range of fuel-efficient and smoke-reducing Chulhas for rural India.

Earth is the oldest building material to be used by man. In the river side of the Mesopotamian, Nile, Chinese and the Indus Valley civilizations, settlers used readily available alluvial soil to make the first mud brick dwellings. Earth has always been the most widely used material for building in India and is a part of its culture. The design for the Development Alternatives headquarters arises out of an organisational desire to make a strong statement in earth architecture.

TARA loom - the breakthrough innovation in the field of handloom technology.. It makes it possible for untrained men and women to produce high-quality handloom textiles that are commercially sustainable. Different types of yarns – cotton, wool, silk and synthetic - can be used in the machine.

DA believes in the power of multi-stakeholders partnerships and networks for creating large-scale impact on society for sustainable development. In 1991 DA, with about 250 civil society organisations, formed a coalition, Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA). CANSA works in 8 South Asian countries on climate action.

The TARA handmade paper unit was launched in 1991 in the peri-urban area of Delhi. The key functions of paper manufacturing are performed by women. The women operators have been given on-the-job training. TARA has developed over 100 varieties of handmade paper using a wide choice of waste paper, rags, natural biomass mixtures, and agro-residues in these units.

The TARA Aqua Check vials are a reliable means to test the quality of drinking water. It can detect the presence of pathogenic bacteria in the water that causes common water-borne diseases like diarrhoea/dysentery/ gastroenteritis.

TARA Aqua Check vials are highly reliable and very simple to use. The salient feature of this kit is that it can test the water quality at the sourceand Point-of-Use.

Another landmark innovation to prevent waterborne diseases is the Jal-TARA water testing kit. It can be used by any person, even one without a scientific background. The kit can test 16 essential parameters to check if the water is fit for consumption.

TARAgram, is a unique concept; a livelihood resource centre demonstrating models of sustainable development, with facilities for training and conferencing. The TARAgram Livelihood Resource Centre is close to the beautiful and historic town of Orchha. It was set up in 1995 as a technology village by Development Alternatives.

CLEAN-India (Community Led Environment Action Network) is an initiative of Development Alternatives that aims to harness youth power to bring about a positive change in urban society. It provides a platform for students and young professionals to prevent environmental degradation and develop cleaner towns and cities across India.Through this programme, 4000 students have been trained in environmental assessment and through improvement activities, more than 200 water quality monitoring stations established in India, and Water and Sanitation concerns were addressed in over 2200 schools.

Decentralised Energy Systems India (DESI) power plant was set up at Orchha in 1996 in TARAgram. The technology of the gasification plant was developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). In collaboration with Gram Panchayats and other agencies the DESI power, deliver and operate small power plants for rural communities using state-of-the-art integrated energy generation technologies.

Development Alternatives with the active participation of local communities re-established the age-old water conservation system and constructed 100 check dams in the region in the year 1997.

Development Alternatives initiated the research and developed the water purification system ‘Jal-TARA Filter’ in the year 1997 to provide safe drinking water, free from bacterial contamination, at community and household levels. Unlike other water purification systems available in the market that are based on chemical treatment, the Jal-TARA filter is based on natural filtration, the slow sand filtration technique.. It is a modular unit that doesn’t require electricity or chemicals for operation.

The flagship Micro Concrete Roofing (MCR) technology of Development Alternatives Group was inaugurated in 1997. The TARA MCR Technology package consists of a TARA screed vibrator (electrically operated), TARA self-stacking plastic moulds, accessories, alignment tools and bending test equipment. The TARA MCR equipment is tailor-made to produce multiple forms of roofing tiles such as Roman pattern tiles, Pan tiles and ridge tiles. One set of equipment has the capacity to produce 300 tiles per day.

TARA Eco-Kiln - Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK), energy-efficient and environment-friendly technology for firing clay bricks, was launched in 1998. The technology reduces coal usage by 40-50 percent and allows small-scale entrepreneurs to earn carbon revenues by negotiating as a cluster.

Pawan-TARA is an easy-to-operate, compact, portable, air quality monitoring kit developed by Development Alternatives. It is a ‘low volume air sampler’. The kit can be used to monitor outdoor and indoor air quality. Pawan-TARA has been designed to be safe and simple to use even by school students. The kit can run on both electricity and batteries.

Poorest Areas Civil Society (PACS) programme focused on the building capacities of civil society organizations to enable rural communities from the most vulnerable and economically backward regions of India to access their constitutionally mandated rights and entitlements. The uniqueness of the PACS model was that it was not a service delivery program but was focused on community empowerment through women empowerment, local self-governance, and livelihood creation.

The Building Materials and Services Bank ( BMSB ), a unique concept that integrates rural livelihoods with the delivery of rural housing and other habitat-related deliverables for overall habitat security. The primary stakeholders of this initiative are the rural unemployed.

TARA soil testing kit was launched in 2002. It is used for assessing the levels of impurities in soil. It can be customised as per lab requirements.

The Building Materials and Services Bank ( BMSB ), a unique concept that integrates rural livelihoods with the delivery of rural housing and other habitat-related deliverables for overall habitat security. The primary stakeholders of this initiative are the rural unemployed.

In 2007 Dr Ashok Khosla became co-president of the Club of Rome, a platform of diverse thought leaders who identify holistic solutions to complex global issues and promote policy initiatives and action to enable humanity to emerge from multiple planetary emergencies.

TARA Fly Ash Brick Technology was introduced in the year 2005. Fly Ash brick is made up of fly ash - very finely ground coal in thermal power plants, sand and cement. The advantages of this technology are - low energy consumption, cost-effective and zero emissions.

The TARA BrickMek has been designed to do homogeneous mixing of soil, and water. It is a versatile machine designed to produce consistent superior quality clay bricks with frogs. It operates under the soft mud moulding technology and produces bricks under soft extrusion. This machine is easy to operate with one skilled machine operator assisted by local manpower (men and women).

TARA Karigar Mandal (TKM) is an initiative of Development Alternatives to undertake eco-construction work at scale through local masons. The overall objective of this initiative is to improve the livelihoods of building artisans and efficient delivery of ‘green habitat services’ in Bundelkhand. TARAKarigar Mandal is at the forefront of green job creation and also acts as an important tool for climate change mitigation. The Mandal was formally launched at the International Habitat day on October 2, 2007.

The State of Environment (SOE) Atlas of Indis has been developed jointly by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Development Alternatives in 2006. It is an innovative interactive atlas. The thematic focus of this atlas is on the maps of green, blue and brown environmental issues.

The Development Alternatives World Headquarters, located in New Delhi, was reconstructed in 2007, is one of the first buildings in India that aims at zero emissions. The building is best described as a living ecosystem - a fine balance of natural and manmade processes employing environment-friendly energy, material and water management methods. It is a living testimony to the vision, mission and commitment of Development Alternatives to creating a national future that is based on social justice and a cleaner environment.

Radio Bundelkhand 90.4 FM, the community radio is a flagship initiative of Development Alternatives, providing voice to the community in the Bundelkhand region in Central India.

Established on 23rd October 2008, Radio Bundelkhand is the first Community Radio Station in Madhya Pradesh and second in India. It’s participatory and collaborative approach empowers and builds consensus for change.

The radio station is situated in Development Alternatives Appropriate Technology Centre at TARAgram Orchha in Madhya Pradesh.

The first TARAgram Yatra, an annual event organised by Development Alternatives and its partners to deliberate upon germane issues of sustainability, was organised in 2010. With a mix of dialogue and field visits, the Yatra provides a platform for exchanging cutting-edge ideas on how to realise a sustainable future.

Development Alternatives Integrated Village Development Programme – Hamara Gaon (an etymology that emphasises people’s right to decide their development pathway as informed and empowered communities).aunched in 2010, the programme targets issues related to the economy, environment and society systemically, as a whole, helping communities realise the benefit of integrated development.

Shubh Kal is a campaign run by Development Alternatives to inform and educate the rural community of Bundelkhand regarding the risk of climate change and possible adaptation options. This communication model has helped to bridge the communication gap between communities, scientists and government officials.

In response to the chronic drought situation in Bundelkhand, Development Alternatives pioneered the establishment of check-dams as a low cost and sustainable technology for realising water security outcomes. With the active participation of local communities, DA constructed 200 check-dams since 1982.

trialogue 2047 is a series of discussions organised by Development Alternatives, to explore how India can achieve its vision of becoming a green, inclusive and resilient nation by 2047, i.e. after 100 years as an independent nation. trialogue 2047 brings together distinguished speakers to address issues like poverty alleviation, participatory policymaking, resource efficiency etc. The first trialogue 2047 was held in 2013.

In 2014 Development Alternatives launched Locally Owned and Community Operated (LOCO) Model to address the issues of drinking water supply in rural India. ‘Locally Owned and Community Operated (LOCO)’ is an enterprise-based model solely managed by a committee led by women.

Established in 2015, TARAurja is an operational business unit for the deployment and management of renewable energy-based mini-grids. It enables communities to adopt solar and biomass energy solutions in off-grid villages.

In 2016 Development Alternatives became India country member of the Green Economy Coalition, the world's largest movement for green and fair economies.

Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation (IMEDF) is the social enterprise development vehicle of the Development Alternatives Group. It was registered as a nodal agency of the Ministry of MSME, Government of India for the development of clusters under the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) on 24 October 2017.

On 18 December 2018, Development Alternatives signed an MoU with United Nations India to enhance work towards achieving the SDGs with a special focus on the environment and climate change. Dr Ashok Khosla, Chairman, DA and Mr Yuri Afanasiev, United Nations Resident Coordinator signed the MoU at the UNDP office, Delhi.

Development Alternatives flagship programme Bridge2Naukri was inaugurated in 2019. The platform aims to facilitate employment and apprenticeship opportunities for youth.

UdyaME is the Digital Platform of Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation (IMEDF). The platform is a one-stop solution for micro-entrepreneurs in rural and semi-urban geographies.

The TARA Akshar, the flagship programme of the Society for Development Alternatives, is an ICT-based programme imparting literacy and numeracy to adult illiterate women in India in a span of 56 days. The programme has been able to make 2,50,000 women literate in 1922 villages across eight Indian states.

First trial of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) was held in West Rajasthan in 2021. The LC3 technology promises sustainable growth of economies around the world by reducing CO2 emissions by more than 30% compared to plain Portland cement at lower production costs.

SAM-UDYAM, a national-level collaborative-cum-laboratory was unveiled by Development\ Alternatives along with its partners including Action Aid, on 30th January 2021 at the ACCESS Livelihoods India Summit.

Development Alternatives Group signed a long term MoU with JK Lakshmi Cement Ltd. to decarbonise the cement industry through the production of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) and other climate-friendly technologies.

Comming soon!

The Society for Technology & Action for Rural Advancement (TARA), a social enterprise of the Development Alternatives Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Promac Engineering to create LC3 Green Cement. This initiative aims to promote low-carbon emissions and contribute to a greener environment.

Development Alternatives (DA) signed an MoU with ICIMOD to promote sustainable climate practices.

TARA, a social enterprise of the Development Alternatives Group, signed an MoU with InnoCSR to collaborate on research and the promotion of low-carbon Nano Joule Bricks.

The Goa Institute of Management and Development Alternatives formalized their association by entering into a three-year MoU focused on strategic knowledge sharing and their shared commitment to sustainability.

The 11th edition of the TARAgram Yatra was successfully held from 13-15 December 2024 in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh.

On 24 December 2024, Development Alternatives signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurugram. This marks a transformative step toward embedding sustainability, climate resilience, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the core of Indian businesses.

Development Alternatives (DA) and the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM) formalised their collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This partnership, signed by Ms Deepa Ranjan, IAS, Mission Director, UPSRLM, and Mr Shrashtant Patara, CEO, DA, aims to enable 100,000 women in Uttar Pradesh to transition from job seekers to job creators.