A group of IIT-educated professionals, some with two decades of experience in the field of development, and their friends, established People’s Science Institute (PSI) in 1988 as a non-profit research and development organization.

PSI’s stated mission is, “To help eradicate poverty through the empowerment of the poor and the productive, sustainable and equitable use of available human and natural resources.” The organization provides technical and managerial support to communities that work with them; implements development programmes and undertakes public interest research.

The Institute is known for its pioneering work in the fields of community-led watershed-based livelihoods development, environmental quality monitoring, disaster-safe housing and dissemination of appropriate technologies

The activities of PSI are grouped under five units:

• Natural Resource Management
• Environmental Quality Monitoring
• Disaster Mitigation and Response
• Innovative Projects
• River Conservation

Each unit implements development projects, undertakes research and provides training and professional support to other voluntary organizations and government agencies.  PSI has a competent staff of socially conscious engineers, scientists and social workers to carry out these tasks.

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Research at PSI is undertaken to improve the implementation of field projects, identify new areas of work and to innovate new technologies and social processes. It spans a variety of subjects from studies on traditions of water management, food security, work patterns of women in the central-western Himalayas, environmental quality and urbanization in mountain regions to action research on integrated water and forest management by mountain communities, enhancing productivity of paddy cultivation, development of GIS software, and the design of earthquake-safe rural houses and intermediate-sized hydrams.

Dr G D Agarwal, Chairperson PSI is the Former Dean & Head of Environmental Engg, IIT Kanpur. The other IITians involved in PSI are Dr K.S.Chawla (IIT Delhi 1969), Mr Abhay Bhushan (IIT Kanpur 1965), Dr Ravi Chopra (IIT Bombay 1968), Dr Sunil Kale (IIT Delhi 1977), Dr Dinesh Mohan (IIT Bombay 1967) and Mr A.K. Roy (IIT Bombay 1967).

For more information, check the website http://www.peoplesscienceinstitute.com/index.html