The Pragati Gramodyog evam Samaj-kalyan Sansthan - PGS - (Progressive Village-enterprises and Social-welfare Institute) is a not-for-profit voluntary organisation registered under Societies Registration Act, 1860, IT 80 CC and FCRA. The PGS was established by a group of young social entrepreneurs in 1986 with the aim to organise interventions for human and social development of the marginalised communities particularly in rural areas. In its initial years the PGS functioned mainly as a service oriented agency working for expansion of basic education like running schools in backward areas and mobilising parents of marginalised communities for sending their children to schools. In subsequent phase the organisation supported empowerment oriented interventions e.g. organising the unorganised workers like agricultural labourers, bidi rollers and stone breakers for raising their voice for payment of minimum wages and other legal entitlements, empowering girls to control and manage their schools as stakeholders and mobilising parents to volunteer for preparation of cooked mid-day meals for school children. Currently the PGS is focussing on participation based interventions for ensuring sustainable freedom and development of un-free deprived communities, particularly the Kol tribe stonebreakers residing in the southern parts of Uttar Pradesh. The PGS has been identified as a partner organisation by the NABARD for organising farmers’ club and other financial inclusion programmes. Besides, the organisation has been collaborating with the various international and national level organisations like FTS, Geneva Global, JVI, KVIC, DRDA, Baroda Self-employment Training Institute, Central Labour Welfare Board, Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital for organising various participatory programmes oriented towards sustainable freedom of people who are forced to live under debt-bondage situations.

    The PGS proudly announce its silver jubilee year celebrations starting from July 26, 2011 by launching its web site www.pgsindia.org. The organization has decided to focus on training the rural youth for employable skills during this year.