Ekta Parishad

What Ekta Parishad does

Ekta Parishad is a Gandhian non-profit mass-based people's movement for land rights, founded in 1989 by Rajagopal PV (known as Raja Ji) and other grassroots activists. Headquartered in Delhi, India, the organization promotes nonviolence as the method for struggle, dialogue, and constructive action against landlessness and homelessness among India's marginalized populations, particularly tribal and indigenous communities. It operates across approximately 12,000 villages in 14 Indian states—Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Puducherry, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu—anchored by 250,000 active members of the landless poor. The organization is described in its own material as one of the biggest people's movements in India with iconic status globally. There is no technology platform, proprietary product, or commercial offering; the core 'product' is a programmatic methodology delivered through three named pillars—Sangharsh (campaigns/struggle), Samvad (dialogue), and Rachna (constructive action)—operationalized via mass mobilizations, grassroots leadership training, and policy advocacy.

The business and revenue model is non-commercial: Ekta Parishad does not sell products or services, and pricing/billing mechanics are not applicable. Resources are raised through grants and donations to support a lean paid staff of approximately 18 people based in Delhi and a far larger volunteer/membership base. Distribution and demand generation occur through large-scale nonviolent marches (including a 25,000-person march in 2007 and a 100,000+ person, 300+ km march from Gwalior to Delhi in 2012), peer-to-peer grassroots organizing, social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube), publications, press relations, and a website-driven "JOIN NOW" enrollment flow. Customer/beneficiary segments are two: a primary segment of landless and homeless poor (including tribal and indigenous populations) who receive land rights advocacy and related services, and a secondary segment of grassroots activists and community leaders developed within the network.

Strategic posture is anchored in decentralized, people-powered politics: the organization operates as an umbrella for several thousand village-level leaders, has directly negotiated landmark national legislation (the 2007 Forest Rights Act benefiting approximately 2 million Indigenous families, the 2012 Land Reforms Policy, the National Homestead Land Rights Act, and the Land Acquisition Act amendment with Social Impact Assessment and Dispute Resolution Authority provisions), and has expanded its alliance network across Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, and Europe. Its founder is currently leading the Jai Jagat global walk from Delhi to Geneva, signaling an ongoing shift from purely domestic advocacy toward transnational nonviolence and peacebuilding engagement.

Name

Ekta Parishad

Legal name

Ekta Parishad

Website

https://ektaparishad.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ekta Parishad is a Gandhian non-profit mass movement founded in 1989 by Rajagopal PV to secure land rights for India's landless poor through nonviolent activism and policy advocacy, operating across 12,000 villages with 250,000 active members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Advocacy and Land Rights Movement Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Land rights advocacy
• Social movement organizing
• Nonviolent activism
• Grassroots community organizing
• Land reform campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ekta Parishad is a mass-based Gandhian people's movement that organizes landless and homeless populations in India to advocate for and secure land rights through three programmatic campaigns: Sangharsh (nonviolent struggle/protest), Samvad (dialogue and negotiation with government), and Rachna (constructive community-building). The organization mobilizes members through grassroots organizing, foot marches, and policy advocacy, with a stated record of influencing national legislation such as the Forest Rights Act and the National Homestead Land Rights Act.

Product overview

Ekta Parishad is a non-profit social movement organization focused on land rights advocacy for landless and homeless populations in India. It is not a technology product company. The organization operates campaigns (Sangharsh, Samvad, Rachna), publishes resources, and conducts advocacy work. No technology products or software services are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sangharsh (Struggle) Sangharsh is Ekta Parishad's nonviolent struggle and protest campaign, focused on mobilizing landless and homeless populations through mass action, foot marches, and demonstrations to demand land rights and justice from the government. It targets marginalized rural and indigenous communities in India.
• Samvad (Dialogue) Samvad is Ekta Parishad's dialogue and negotiation campaign, focused on engaging with the Government of India to advocate for policy changes, negotiate legislative outcomes, and secure written agreements on land reforms. It targets policy-makers and government stakeholders on behalf of landless populations.
• Rachna (Construction) Rachna is Ekta Parishad's constructive community-building campaign, focused on grassroots leadership development, training of activists, and capacity-building of village communities to sustain the movement's long-term goals. It targets internal movement members and village-level community leaders.
• Movement Membership Enrollment Free enrollment into Ekta Parishad's mass-based people's movement, accessible via the 'JOIN NOW' call-to-action on the organization's website. Membership is open to individuals who wish to participate in India's largest nonviolent movement for landless and homeless people.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured land rights for 500,000 families
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI): RRI is a global coalition working on forest land and resource tenure rights for Indigenous peoples and local communities. It is directly comparable given Ekta Parishad's 2007 Forest Rights Act campaign affecting 2 million Indigenous families and its work on forest and water body protection.
• Habitat for Humanity India: Habitat for Humanity India works on housing and land tenure for low-income and marginalized communities in India. It is comparable to Ekta Parishad in mission (housing/land rights for the poor), beneficiary base (landless and homeless populations), and policy advocacy approach.
• International Land Coalition: International Land Coalition is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organizations working on secure land rights. It is comparable as Ekta Parishad is part of such international land rights networks and shares the policy advocacy and coalition-building approach.
• People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL): PUCL is an Indian civil liberties organization focused on human rights, civil liberties, and marginalized community rights. It is comparable to Ekta Parishad in its rights-based advocacy, engagement with Indian law and policy, and grassroots orientation.
• Narmada Bachao Andolan: Narmada Bachao Andolan is a mass movement in India advocating for displacement-affected and marginalized communities, also using Gandhian nonviolent methods. It is directly comparable in terms of mobilization tactics, grassroots base, and government-negotiation-driven outcomes.
• Landesa: Landesa is a global land rights organization that works to secure land rights for millions of the world's poorest families. It is a direct peer to Ekta Parishad as both focus on land tenure policy, advocacy, and implementation, with overlapping work in India and similar grassroots mobilization models.
• National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) / similar Indian peoples' movements: Indian peoples' movements (such as NFF, All India Union of Forest Working People) operate as mass-based advocacy movements on resource rights. They share Ekta Parishad's decentralized mobilization model, land/resource rights focus, and engagement with national policy.

Emerging players

• Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI): SDI is a global network of community-led organizations of the urban poor focused on land and housing rights. It is comparable to Ekta Parishad in addressing landlessness of the poor, but with a primarily urban orientation, representing an adjacent rather than directly overlapping model.

Broad incumbents

• ActionAid India: ActionAid India is a large international NGO working on poverty, land rights, and social justice across India. It is comparable as a broader social justice organization with significant land rights work, though with a wider development portfolio beyond Ekta Parishad's focused land rights mission.
• Amnesty International India: Amnesty International India is a large, established human rights organization working on civil and political rights advocacy. It is comparable as a broader human rights organization operating in the same geography with overlapping advocacy and rights-based approach, though with a wider scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Ekta_Parishad
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Ektaparishad
• Facebookfacebook.com/ektaparishad
• Instagraminstagram.com/ektaparishad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ekta-parishad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 Ekta Parishad