What INDUSaction does

Indus Action is a New Delhi-headquartered non-profit organization founded in 2013 that operates as a policy implementation 'do-tank' bridging the gap between India's social protection policies and on-ground delivery. The organization serves vulnerable Indian citizens, specifically children from economically weaker sections seeking Right to Education Section 12(1)(c) admissions, construction and unorganized workers entitled to welfare benefits under labour codes, and citizens needing access to entitlements during critical life events. Its core offerings include three program modules (RTE Implementation, Labour & Livelihoods, Moments that Matter) and the Unified Entitlements Interface, an open-source digital public good designed as the technology backbone for social equity and entitlement access. Indus Action operates across 20 Indian states through three zonal offices in Delhi, Raipur, and Bengaluru, with an 86-person team that includes 50% women in C-suite leadership and specialized Phule Ambedkar Fellows.

The organization generates revenue through foundation grants, corporate CSR funding, and government partnership contracts, with notable financial backers including the Skoll Foundation ($2 million award in 2026), Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Convergence Foundation, Cisco India, Titan Company, and DRK Foundation. Its go-to-market is community-led and government-partnership-driven: it works through MoUs with state governments, direct grassroots community engagement, and civil society alliances (including Jawabdehi Andolan and SR Abhiyan Soochna). All services to vulnerable citizens are provided free of charge. Cumulative impact metrics as of May 2026 include 3,294,401 vulnerable citizens supported, ₹2,983 crore ($313 million) of welfare entitlements unlocked, an 18-partner active government portfolio, 43 published research outputs, and a stated 38X cumulative social return on investment.

Leadership is anchored by Founder & CEO Tarun Cherukuri (Harvard Kennedy School, Obama Foundation Fellow, Ashoka Fellow), CTO Vivek Nayan, Chief Product Officer Arjita Madan (ex-Google Pay India founding team, ex-McKinsey), and Chief of Staff Kritika Sangani. The organization operates with no parent company or institutional investor, is independently governed with an advisory board comprising representatives from Dovetail Impact Foundation and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and is subject to FCRA compliance as a recipient of foreign contributions.

Name

INDUSaction

Legal name

Indus Action

Website

https://indusaction.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Indus Action is a New Delhi-based non-profit founded in 2013 that helps vulnerable Indian citizens access government welfare entitlements in education, labour, and public services across 20 states through government partnerships, open-source digital public goods, and community-led implementation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Protection Implementation Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Administration of General Economic Programs (92611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPAGABAO)

Keywords

• Social protection implementation
• Digital public goods
• Welfare entitlement access
• Right to education
• Labour welfare programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants & Donations: As a non-profit organization, Indus Action generates revenue through grants from foundations, corporate donations, and individual contributions. The organization has received significant recognition including the $2 million Skoll Award for Social Innovation in 2026.
2. Government Partnerships: Collaborative partnerships with state governments for implementing social protection systems, working on contractual or grant basis to strengthen welfare delivery mechanisms.
3. CSR Funding: Corporate Social Responsibility funding from private partners including Titan Company and other organizations shown in the partner logos section.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Indus Action is a non-profit policy implementation organization that enables vulnerable Indian citizens to access legislated welfare entitlements in education, labour, and public services. It delivers this through collaborative partnerships with state governments, open-source digital public goods (notably the Unified Entitlements Interface), process re-engineering, and citizen-centric research, operating across 20 Indian states with services provided free of charge to end-beneficiaries.

Product overview

INDUSaction is a policy implementation organization that bridges the gap between social protection policies and action, functioning as a 'do-tank' rather than just a think-tank. The organization offers a portfolio of integrated programs and digital public goods: the Unified Entitlements Interface serves as the core technology platform enabling citizen access to welfare schemes, supported by focused program modules including the RTE 12(1)(c) Implementation Program for education access, Labour & Livelihoods Support for worker welfare, and the Moments that Matter Initiative for entitlements during critical life events. All programs operate through collaborative government partnerships across 20 Indian states, leveraging open-source technology, process re-engineering, and citizen-centric research to deliver impact at scale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Protection Access Services Indus Action's primary service helping governments and communities make social protection more accessible through collaborative partnerships, citizen-centric research, and process re-engineering to enable vulnerable citizens to access legislated rights including education, labour entitlements, and public services.
• Unified Entitlements Interface A digital public good built as the technology backbone for social equity, designed to connect citizens to welfare entitlements across multiple government schemes through a single integrated platform.
• RTE 12(1)(c) Implementation Program A program supporting the implementation of Right to Education Section 12(1)(c) enabling disadvantaged children from economically weaker sections to secure admissions in private schools, operating across 20 Indian states with 945,504 citizens supported.
• Labour & Livelihoods Support Support services helping construction and unorganized workers secure entitlements under labour provisions, including assistance with obtaining labour cards and accessing welfare benefits, with 1,741,980 workers and families supported across 4 states.
• Moments that Matter Initiative Program helping citizens receive timely access to key entitlements during critical life junctures including child birth, marriage, education, unemployment, hospitalisation, retirement, and death across 2 states, with 606,917 citizens supported.

Quantifiable outcome

• 945,504 citizens secured RTE Section 12(1)(c) admissions
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cisco India & SAARCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic technology partnership where Cisco supports Indus Action's work through technology expertise and policy engagement. Harish Krishnan, MD & Chief Policy Officer, has publicly endorsed the partnership noting 'technology is the force multiplier & the other force multiplier is government intervention and I'm delighted that both are being served well with our work with Indus Action.'
• State Governments (18 Active Partnerships)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive government partnerships across 20 Indian states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. These partnerships involve implementing social protection systems, digital public goods development, and citizen support services.
• Jawabdehi Andolan / SR Abhiyan SoochnacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society partnership for access to information and welfare advocacy. Won the Shamnad Basheer Prize 2022 together for excellence in social innovation.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IDinsight: IDinsight is a global evidence-generation and monitoring & evaluation organization with a major India presence, partnering with governments and funders to design and evaluate social programs — comparable to Indus Action's research, impact evaluation, and MERL function (e.g., Karnataka 5 Guarantees evaluation).
• The/Nudge Foundation: The/Nudge Foundation is an India-based non-profit focused on livelihoods, education, and skilling for underprivileged populations — closely comparable target beneficiary base and operating model to Indus Action's Labour & Livelihoods and education programs.
• Samagra: Samagra is a governance consulting and program management firm that partners with Indian state governments on policy implementation, citizen service delivery, and social sector reform — closely comparable to Indus Action's 'do-tank' model and government partnership approach.
• Haqdarshak: Haqdarshak is an India-based welfare entitlement access platform that helps citizens discover and claim government scheme benefits — the closest direct functional peer to Indus Action's RTE and labour entitlement programs, operating at similar scale across multiple Indian states.

Broad incumbents

• Pratham Education Foundation: Pratham is one of India's largest non-profits focused on education access and quality for underprivileged children — a comparable scale, scope, and target beneficiary base to Indus Action's RTE 12(1)(c) program, with similarly deep state-level presence.
• Piramal Foundation: Piramal Foundation is one of India's largest philanthropic platforms, running district-level transformation programs in health, education, and livelihoods — comparable as a large, government-engaged social sector organization with similar target beneficiaries and pan-India geographic footprint.
• NITI Aayog: NITI Aayog is the Government of India's apex policy think tank that designs and monitors national social protection programs — a broad incumbent in the same space Indus Action operates in, though as a government body rather than a non-profit implementation partner.
• J-PAL South Asia: J-PAL South Asia conducts randomized evaluations of anti-poverty programs across India, frequently partnering with state governments on welfare and education policy — comparable in evidence-based policy approach and government engagement, though operating at a much larger research scale than Indus Action.
• Bandhan Konnagar: Bandhan Konnagar is the non-profit arm of the Bandhan Group, running large-scale livelihood, education, and health programs across India — broadly comparable as a large Indian social sector organization focused on financial inclusion and welfare access for vulnerable populations.

Regional players

• SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association): SEWA is a prominent Indian membership-based organization of informal women workers focused on livelihoods, social security, and welfare entitlements — a strong comparable for Indus Action's Labour & Livelihoods program, with a longer history and more grassroots-organizing orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/indusaction
• YouTubeyoutube.com/indusaction
• Facebookfacebook.com/INDUSaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indusaction
• Instagraminstagram.com/indusaction

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about INDUSaction