Plan India

Plan India is a not-for-profit organisation working across India to advance children's rights and equality for girls. Registered in 1996 as Plan International's India Chapter, it works with government, communities, and corporate partners on education, health, protection, and economic opportunity for children and young people, with a particular focus on girls and adolescents. Its stated goal is for 10 million girls and young women to learn, lead, decide, and thrive. Since its founding, Plan India has implemented child centred community development programs in more than 5,500 villages and urban slums across over 80 districts in India.

Major Areas of Work

• Inclusive and Quality Education: Programs that improve access to and quality of schooling for children, with a focus on girls.
• Safety for Girls and Child Protection: Work against child labour, child marriage, trafficking, and abuse, including support for missing children and legal aid.
• Youth and Household Economic Security: Skills training, career guidance, and livelihood support for young people, especially girls and young women.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Services: Health education and access to services for adolescents and young people.
• Maternal, Child Health, Nutrition and Early Childhood Development: Programs supporting pregnant mothers, infants, and young children.
• Climate and Humanitarian Action: Emergency response and resilience building, including relief work during disasters like the Asian Tsunami and recent flood response in Assam.

Major Initiatives & Programmes

• Because I Am a Girl: Plan India's flagship campaign, running since 2005, advocating for the rights and status of girls in India.
• Paramarsh: A career guidance and planning program for children and young people, with a focus on girls.
• Safer Cities: An initiative building safe, accountable, and inclusive cities and public spaces for women and girls, including the Pink Toilets project.
• Missing Child Alert: A project responding to child trafficking and missing children cases.
• Girls Advocacy Alliance: A program working to secure equal rights and opportunities for girls.
• Digital Mitra: A program addressing online safety for young people.

Impact

Plan India states its work has reached the lives of 3 crore girls and youth across India. It has run child centred community development programs in more than 5,500 villages and urban slums spanning over 80 districts. The organisation is a development partner of NITI Aayog on the Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks Programs, and works with national bodies including the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights on child protection issues.

Leadership

• Bhagyashri Dengle, Chief Executive
• Madan B. Lokur, President, Governing Board
• Pooja Mathur, Director, Human Resource, Organisation Development and Operations
• Rajesh Rana, Director, Programme and Strategic Partnerships

Partners

NITI Aayog, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Global Fund, HDFC Parivartan, Bank of America, AXA, Zurich, Sandvik, CBRE, Relaxo, Metso, Concor, Punjab National Bank

Plan India suits people who want to work on child rights and gender equality at national scale, with direct engagement across government, community, and corporate channels. The organisation runs a wide portfolio of projects across education, health, protection, and livelihoods, giving employees exposure to different parts of the development sector under one roof. It appeals to people who want to work on long-term, systemic issues affecting girls and children, backed by a nearly three decade long presence in India.