The Development Alternatives Group (“DA Group”) is comprised of Development Alternatives and its associate organisations in India: primarily Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA) and People First.  It also includes their respective subsidiaries, Tara Nirman Kendra, Tara Leasing and Finance, TARA-BKF Rural Technology and DESI Power.   The relationships among the different entities are shown in the chart below.   The activities of all organisations in the DA Group broadly cover three primary areas: appropriate technology, environmental management and institutional design.

Development Alternatives, the research and design wing of the Group, and its flagship, is a not-for-profit organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act of the Government of India.  It is also an officially recognised research institution and as such entitled to full exemption from all government taxes.  The income of Development Alternatives comes from sponsored research projects, royalties, consultancy fees, and to a small extent, from donations and grants.  It does not have any business activities other than those which result directly from its research programmes. 

TARA, responsible for commercialising the innovations of the Group, is also a not-for-profit Society.  It is, however, entitled to carry on business activities.  TARA manufactures and markets the products designed by Development Alternatives and pays royalties and fees for the (non-exclusive) rights to do so.  It has established subsidiaries to offer services in specialised areas including Tara Nirman Kendra for design and construction of cost-effective buildings, Tara Leasing and Finance for provision of credit to clients for purchase of TARA products, Tara BKF Rural Technology for franchising and DESI Power for the establishment of small, local power stations based on renewable energy. 

People First is the advocacy wing of the Group, registered as a non-profit foundation under the Trusts Act of the Government of India.  Its purpose is to promote adoption of the policies designed by Development Alternatives for achieving sustainable development and participatory democracy. 

The three organisations are separately registered, each with its own governing body, staff, assets and accounts.  All financial transactions among them are non-exclusive and “arms length”.   However, by contractual arrangement, they are obliged at a minimum to work together to implement the products,  systems and policies designed by Development Alternatives and to provide feedback on their performance.  To facilitate transferability of the staff among the different entities and to ensure co-operation between them, the three organisations maintain identical personnel policies, salary structures, and retirement packages. 

For convenience and brevity, the DA Group is often referred to by the name of flagship organisation.  In government, donor, academic and NGO circles, most people call it Development Alternatives, or by its Hindi translation “Vikas Vikalp”.   In business circles, or in the village markets, TARA is a more common substitute.   q

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