Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources

What Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources does

Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources (CSNR) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1996 and headquartered in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) and operates as a multi-program civil society platform serving marginalized communities in eastern India — primarily tribal (Adivasi), Dalit, religious minority, slum-dwelling, women, children, and persons with disabilities populations in Odisha, with extended reach into Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal for police reform advocacy.

CSNR's activities are organized across nine thematic programs: Community Based Resource Centres / Social Facilitation Centres (3 SFCs and 8 sub-centres across 11 Bhubaneswar slums), Food Security, Citizens Rights, Social Inclusion, Forest & Land Rights (Forest Rights Act 2006 implementation), Disaster Response and Health Rights, Access to Justice (legal aid clinics across 14 blocks of Koraput), Police Reform, and PWD Rights. The organization also convenes the Civil Society Platform on Human Rights (CSFHR), a network of approximately 300 human rights defenders across Odisha, and participates in the national Campaign for Survival and Dignity. Documented outcomes include 803 approved forest land titles covering 1,313.58 acres, 1,771 social security entitlements facilitated, 2,134 persons receiving legal aid, and 3,243 persons receiving counselling.

CSNR is registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, 12A of the Income Tax Act, the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA) 2010, and NGO DARPAN under NITI Aayog. The organization operates on a donations-and-grants model, accepting contributions via bank transfer and PhonePe/UPI, with all services provided free of cost to beneficiaries. It is founder-led under Secretary-cum-Director Dhirendra Kumar Panda, supported by a small core team of approximately 6 listed staff, a broader set of project coordinators, and a board of eight members. No commercial revenue, equity funding, or audited financials are publicly disclosed.

Name

Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources

Legal name

Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources

Website

https://csnrindia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CSNR is a Bhubaneswar-based Indian non-profit founded in 1996 that runs nine community empowerment, human rights, forest rights, legal aid, and police reform programs serving tribal, Dalit, minority, and slum-dwelling populations across eastern India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Human Rights and Community Development Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAGAH

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYBPAGAAAG

Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief

SECONDARYBPAIABAI

State/Provincial Human Services & Benefits Administration (Welfare, Disability, Child & Family)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/State/Provincial & Regional Government Administration

SECONDARYAFAMAAAK

Non-Timber Forest Products Management (Resins, Gums, Mushrooms, Berries)

Agriculture & Food Production/Forestry & Logging/Forest Management & Silviculture

Keywords

• Community empowerment services
• Human rights advocacy
• Forest rights program
• Legal aid services
• Social inclusion initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Bhubaneswar

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: CSNR operates as a non-profit organization receiving donations from various donor partners. The organization accepts contributions through bank transfer and digital payment methods (PhonePe/UPI). Registered under FCRA allowing foreign contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CSNR is a non-governmental organization that delivers community-based programs for empowerment of marginalized populations in Odisha, India. Its core offerings include Social Facilitation Centres, legal aid, human rights documentation, forest and land rights advocacy, food security support, disaster response, police reform advocacy, and disability rights programs. Services are delivered free of cost to beneficiaries through community centres, trained paralegals, and human rights defenders.

Product overview

Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources (CSNR) is a non-governmental organization with Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). CSNR operates as a portfolio of community development programs rather than a unified commercial product. The organization offers multiple thematic programs including Community Based Resource Centre/Social Facilitation Centres (providing counselling, advocacy, and access to entitlements), Food Security, Citizens Rights, Social Inclusion, Forest and Land Rights, Disaster Response and Health Rights, Access to Justice, Police Reform, and PWD Rights. These programs work collectively toward empowerment of marginalized communities, human rights advocacy, and democratic governance strengthening in Odisha, India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Based Resource Centre / Social Facilitation Centres
• Food Security Program
• Citizens Rights Initiative
• Social Inclusion Program
• Forest and Land Rights Program
• Disaster Response and Health Rights
• Access to Justice Program
• Police Reform Initiative
• PWD Rights Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 55,711 underprivileged people reached for community empowerment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational level network of forest dwellers that CSNR works with as part of tribal rights advocacy. CSNR is actively involved in the CSD Odisha state campaign for ensuring natural and constitutional rights of tribal and forest dweller communities. Joint campaigns include advocacy for Forest Rights Act implementation, protests against anti-tribal policies, and state-level mobilization.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL): India's premier civil liberties organization running state chapters including Odisha, with parallel work on police reforms, HRDs, arbitrary detention, and access to justice. PUCL's police accountability and rights documentation mandate overlaps directly with CSNR's Police Reform Initiative and Citizens Rights program.
• Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD): National network of forest dwellers that CSNR explicitly partners with via the Odisha state chapter. Operates the same Forest Rights Act implementation, tribal land tenure, and community forest rights advocacy work as CSNR, sharing campaigns and joint mobilization. Most direct functional peer.
• National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR): Pan-Indian NGO working on caste-based discrimination, Dalit human rights, and access to justice — directly mirroring CSNR's Social Inclusion program, legal aid clinics, and advocacy against rights violations. Operates in overlapping states with comparable community-led outreach.
• Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF): A federation of Indian NGOs working on social justice, tribal rights, and human rights. CSNR's CSFHR network and multi-state tribal/minority coverage are directly comparable to INSAF's constituent members and shared advocacy platforms.

Broad incumbents

• Oxfam India: Major Indian NGO with thematic programs on inequality, women's rights, adivasi/forest rights, and humanitarian response. Oxfam India's multi-state, multi-thematic footprint and CBBO (community-based organization) partnership model parallel CSNR's operating architecture and donor ecosystem.
• Survival International: Global NGO dedicated to tribal/indigenous peoples' rights, land rights, and protection from forced displacement. Works on overlapping Forest Rights Act and Adivasi land tenure issues as CSNR's Forest & Land Rights program, with international advocacy reach.
• Human Rights Watch (India operations): Global human rights organization that covers India's most pressing HR issues including minority rights, police brutality, and tribal displacement. They serve as a benchmark international advocacy voice whose UN mechanisms CSNR participates in, making them a relevant broader-scope peer.
• ActionAid India: Large Indian NGO operating across multiple states with programs on women's rights, Dalit rights, adivasi rights, and disaster response. ActionAid's portfolio-led, multi-state operating model and grassroots partner-led approach closely mirror CSNR's structure.
• Amnesty International India: International rights organization historically focused on Indian human rights issues including minority rights, access to justice, and discriminatory policing — directly addressing the same thematic areas as CSNR, albeit at greater scale and from an international, campaign-led perspective.

Regional players

• Navsarjan Trust: Large Dalit rights organization based in Gujarat operating access-to-justice, anti-discrimination, and community mobilization programs. Strong functional overlap with CSNR's Social Inclusion (Dalits/minorities), access to justice, and CSO/HRD capacity-building work, but with a different regional base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csnrindia

Compliance6 records

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 Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources