Nirantara is currently working in Bidar, Gulbarga & Bijapur districts of Karnataka. In 5 years (2008-2013) Nirantara will establish operations in 10 districts of Karnataka & Maharashtra. Nearly 40% of the area’s population lives in miserable poverty, and the rates of ‎hunger, malnutrition & disease are among the highest in the world.

This area has common characteristics such as:
‎–‎ high population in Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, ‎
‎–‎ high landless population, ‎
‎–‎ high rate of migration to urban areas, ‎
‎–‎ low rainfall, long dry-spells, ‎
‎–‎ regular droughts and floods,
‎–‎ high rate of suicide by agrarian community, ‎
‎–‎ market distress and low literacy. ‎

Most of the districts in this region appear in top-200 backward districts of the country. The vast majority of poor in theses districts are landless laborers or marginal farmers who survive ‎through subsistence agriculture in rural parts. Urban part has economically active distressed population with lack of livelihood opportunities and lack credit supply for their tiny enterprises. Distressed rural population migrates & settles in urban areas for livelihood options and this creates lot of issues including basic infrastructure, water & sanitation and this leads to creation of slums.

We consider people who lack access to formal finance and support them through our ‎financial services. We are currently working only with women and cover men folk subsequently. Hence, Nirantara is working / will work with economically active population in urban & peri-urban areas living in the margin of poverty line.