Centre for Social Research (CSR) was established by a group of concerned social scientists who were dedicated to promoting the empowerment of women, deprived castes and backward regions. They hoped to achieve this through relevant research studies, training and capacity building.

Founded in 1983, CSR initially worked for all the marginalized sections of Indian society; however gradually the area of gender emerged as the core focus for CSR, as the urgency of the need to address gender inequality in India became evermore apparent.

While the collective reach of NGOs (in terms of the number of women they serve) is small in relation to that of the programmes run by the Government, they nevertheless represent an important element in the overall picture of women's development. 

Mindful of the fact that women have always experienced the status of a subjugated class in Indian society, and that a new self-image of women has to be constituted, CSR is engaged now in the reconstruction of the prevailing image of women in India. This is sought to be achieved through a process of restructuring existing social relations of men and women; and by enlightening and empowering BOTH the sexes.

CSR endeavors to empower women by building inroads into decision-making institutions from Panchayats (local units of governance) to the Lok and Rajya Sabhas (National Parliament). Our aim is to facilitate the process of women achieving economic self-sufficiency and higher awareness of social, political, legal and health issues. We do this through mobilization and conscientization.

Please see the CSR Model for an overview of how the activities of our different departments interact to work towards the goal of women's empowerment.