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The United Kingdom's Department for International Development launched its biggest civil society project on Thursday to mark World Human Rights Day.
The Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme and the International NGO Partnerships Agreement Programme is worth £45 million (Rs 360 crores) spread across the next five years.
Announcing the two new projects in New Delhi, DFID Director General for Country Programmes Mark Lowcock, said, "These projects will make rights and entitlements a reality for millions of marginalised families across 120 of India's poorest districts, projecting the voices of those on the margins of society and lifting them out of poverty. I hope both projects become beacons in the fight to end inequality and discrimination in India and elsewhere around the world."
"India is DFID's largest country programme. The NGO partners leading these two projects share DFID's commitment to measuring and delivering real results for poor people," said Michael Anderson, head of DFID India.
According to a press release by the organisation, DFID is the biggest bilateral grant donor in India. In 2008, DFID unveiled a seven-year plan to reduce poverty in India and will provide £825 million to India between 2008-2011, £500 million of which will be devoted to health and education.
DFID India supports programmes in five states including Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Its programmes are focused on promoting equitable growth and improving access to better quality services for the poor.