Central Himalayan Rural Action Group

What Central Himalayan Rural Action Group does

Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG) is a non-profit society registered in 1986 and headquartered in Simayal village, Nainital district, Uttarakhand, India, operating integrated rural development programs across four pillars: health, education, livelihood, and natural resource management. The organization serves rural communities in the Central Himalayan region — spanning altitudes of 1,000 to 3,000 meters across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh — through programs that include the Chirag Rural Health Center at Sargakhet (15,000+ outpatients treated since 2009), the Chirag School model primary school at Simayal (120 students), the BalShikshak program supporting 65 government primary schools (2,371 children), a Spring Recharge program using hydrogeological springshed management to treat and monitor 211 springs, watershed and forestry programs including 10 million+ saplings planted since 1986, agricultural cooperatives (831 women farmers across 7 cooperatives), and 149 self-help groups for financial inclusion. Field presence covers 188 villages across Nainital, Bageshwar, and Almora districts, with technical partnerships with ACWADAM, ATREE, IIT Roorkee, NABARD, Tata Trust, World Bank, GIZ, SBI, and Hinduja Foundation.

CHIRAG's core technological competency is hydrogeological: an instrumented, science-driven approach to springshed management developed in collaboration with ACWADAM, with automated water-level recorders and rain gauges deployed at the Ramgarh watershed since 2015. The organization supplements this with proprietary experimental farming methodologies (the four-step Navachar program) and a network of community-based institutions (150 Village Level Institutions, 149 self-help groups, 50 Van Panchayats) that deliver programs at the village level through trained local staff.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations, grants, and nominal fees rather than commercial sales. Primary funding sources include individual and institutional donations (tax-exempted under Section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act), corporate CSR partnerships (SBI, Ashok Leyland, Hinduja Foundation), multilateral and bilateral grants (World Bank SWAJAL, GIZ, NABARD, Tata Trust, Alstom Foundation), and the profits of Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU), a 1996 Section 8 spin-off that produces and markets rural products under the Kilmora brand and reinvests all earnings back into CHIRAG. Chirag School charges nominal fees covering only 7–12% of school expenses. The organization employs approximately 150 staff, 95% drawn from the local Himalayan region, with most senior staff serving for over a decade.

Name

Central Himalayan Rural Action Group

Legal name

Central Himalayan Rural Action Group

Website

https://chirag.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG) is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 that delivers integrated rural development in health, education, livelihoods, and natural resource management to communities across 5 Himalayan states, reaching 175,000+ households.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (61171), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Agricultural Services (700), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK)

Keywords

• Rural development services
• Community development programs
• Spring recharge solutions
• Watershed management services
• Nonprofit education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Simayal, Nainital district

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Primary funding source from individual donors, institutional donors, and international supporters. Donations are tax-exempted under Section 80G of Indian Income Tax Act. Donors in the USA can contribute through Give2Asia.
2. Partnership Funding: Funding from corporate partners (SBI, Ashok Leyland, Hinduja Foundation), government agencies (NABARD, World Bank SWAJAL Project), and institutional partners (GIZ, ATREE, IIT Roorkee).
3. School Fees: Nominal fees charged to students covering 7-12% of total school expenses. Majority of school funding depends on donations.
4. Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU) Support: KGU, a Section 8 company, reinvests all profits into rural development activities and supports Chirag's school and development work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG) is a not-for-profit society that delivers integrated rural development services to communities in the Central Himalayan region across four interconnected verticals: Health (curative and preventive care through Chirag Rural Health Center), Education (model school, scholarships, and government school support), Natural Resource Management (spring recharge, watershed development, forestry), and Livelihoods (agriculture, animal husbandry, and microfinance/self-help groups). It does not sell commercial products; its service portfolio is delivered directly to rural households and community institutions.

Product overview

Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG) is a non-profit rural development organization operating multiple interconnected programs across four sectors: Health, Education, Livelihood, and Natural Resource Management. In Education, it runs Chirag School (a model primary school) and the BalShikshak auxiliary teachers program supporting 65 government schools, plus a scholarship program for girls. In Health, it operates the Chirag Rural Health Center providing curative services and preventive health programs. In Livelihood, it provides agriculture and horticulture support, agricultural marketing through cooperatives, animal husbandry programs, and microfinance through 149 self-help groups. In Natural Resource Management, it conducts spring recharge (211 springs treated), watershed development, and forestry programs working with 50 Van Panchayats. These programs are designed with an integrated approach, recognizing that solutions must address multiple interconnected challenges faced by rural Himalayan communities, with over 175,000 households and approximately 900,000 people reached to date.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kilmora: Brand under Kumaun Grameen Udyog for herbs, grains and other rural products
• Chirag School
• Chirag Rural Health Center
• Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU)

Products and services

• Chirag School A primary school at Simayal in Nainital district providing quality education for rural children from preschool through class 5, using experiential learning, child-centric, Montessori and KFI-influenced methods, and computer literacy. Currently serves approximately 120 students.
• Chirag Rural Health Center A hospital at Sargakhet providing curative health services focused on maternal and child health, emergency services, laboratory, X-ray, ECG, dental, and delivery facilities; has served approximately 15,000 outpatients since opening.
• Scholarship for Girls Scholarship program supporting 82 socially and economically disadvantaged girls across 57 villages in Nainital, Almora and Bageshwar districts from class 6 to 12, covering stationery, textbooks, uniforms, school fees, tuition support, medical check-ups, and life skills workshops.
• BalShikshak Program Auxiliary teachers program operating in 65 government primary schools in Bageshwar, Ramgarh, Dhari and Bhimtal, improving student-teacher ratios where they exceed 30 students per teacher; BalShikshaks are selected from within the local community.
• Spring Recharge Program Program for recharge and rejuvenation of Himalayan springs using a springshed hydro-geological approach to address reduced water availability and water quality deterioration; has treated and monitored 211 springs across 16 blocks in 8 districts of Kumaun and Garhwal regions.
• Agriculture Marketing Program Program supporting small-scale farmers through the Fal-Sabzi Vitaran Committee and Non-Pesticide Management Program; supports 7 fruit cooperatives comprising 831 women farmers across 16 villages, promoting value addition and alternative income through herb cultivation sold under the Kilmora brand.
• Finance for Development (Self-Help Groups) Self-help group program promoting formation of community-based institutions; 149 SHGs support financial inclusion, savings mobilization, and access to banking, insurance and investment services, including the Uttaranchal Sangharsh Mahila Sangh federation of women's SHGs.
• Animal Husbandry Program Program supporting small-scale livestock rearing through a cattle feed federation, an Ayurvedic medicine manufacturing federation for cattle, and support for paravets providing artificial insemination services and animal health care.
• Forestry and Fodder Program Forest conservation and management program working with 50 Van Panchayats (Village Forest Committees) and 150 Village Level Institutions; over 10 million saplings have been planted since 1986, with focus on increasing access to leaf litter, fodder and fuel wood production.
• Watershed Development Program Watershed development program encompassing forestry, fodder, soil and water conservation, agriculture, drinking water supply and livelihoods; currently working on the Pirna watershed in Bageshwar district.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached 175,000+ households benefiting approximately 900,000 people across 5 Himalayan states
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ATREEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAshoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment - scientific collaboration for spring recharge data analysis and environmental research.
• IIT RoorkeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndian Institute of Technology Roorkee - partnership for hydrology training, data analysis capabilities, and scientific understanding of Himalayan water systems.
• ACWADAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre for Ground Water Studies - technical partnership for springshed hydrogeological approach and staff training in geological techniques.
• Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSection 8 company that reinvests all profits into rural development and is Chirag's main donor for the school. Products include scarves, shawls, herbs, grains marketed under Kilmora brand.
• SBI Youth for IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellow program bringing scientific rigor in data capture and analysis techniques.
• HimmotthanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for livelihood and development programs.
• APPIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for development initiatives.
• HUMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for development initiatives.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foundation for Ecological Security (FES): Works on commons restoration, watershed development, and Van Panchayat-style community forest institutions across India — directly comparable to CHIRAG's Van Panchayat and forestry programs.
• Gram Vikas: Odisha-based integrated rural development NGO working on water, sanitation, health, education and livelihoods through community institutions — comparable integrated model with a similar emphasis on community ownership.
• Himmotthan Society: Tata Trusts-supported rural development organization operating across Uttarakhand and other Himalayan states; explicitly listed as a CHIRAG partner and addresses overlapping themes of livelihoods, water, and community institutions in similar geographies.
• PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action): One of India's largest professional rural development NGOs, working on livelihoods, women's self-help groups, and natural resource management across multiple states — a strong operational and philosophical peer to CHIRAG's integrated model.
• BAIF Development Research Foundation: Large Indian rural development NGO focused on livestock, agriculture, watershed development, and women's empowerment — comparable to CHIRAG in livelihoods and NRM programming, though with much larger national scale.
• Seva Mandir: Long-established rural development NGO working in tribal southern Rajasthan on health, education, livelihoods and natural resource management through community institutions — directly comparable integrated rural development model.
• ACWADAM (Advanced Center for Water Resources Development and Management): Specialist organization on springshed hydrogeology and groundwater; CHIRAG's core technical partner that also independently implements similar spring-recharge work with other NGOs and government bodies in the Himalayan region.

Emerging players

• Navdanya: Network of seed keepers and organic farming advocates promoting sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and farmer livelihoods — directly comparable to CHIRAG's Navachar experimental farming and cooperative programs in 80+ villages.
• WASSAN (Watershed Support Services and Activities Network): Network organization working on watershed development, sustainable agriculture, and community institutions — overlaps with CHIRAG's watershed and Navachar programs, especially across rainfed and mountainous regions of India.
• ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment): Research-and-action organization working on biodiversity, water, and livelihoods; explicitly a CHIRAG partner on spring recharge science and shares the integrated NRM-plus-livelihoods approach but with a stronger research orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-himalayan-rural-action-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Central Himalayan Rural Action Group