The Grassroots Institute was conceptualized and started in 2005 as capacity building wing of Grassroots India Trust, a national field based NGO. Its programmatic details are given as under:

Grassroots India Trust strives to address crucial issues of poor and powerless society in backward and remote territories of the country. The following issues of sustainable development are addressed: 

Program: Conserving the Ecosystems  
Poverty is widespread in rural areas of India, which is caused by marginalization, deprivation and exclusion of certain section of communities, and characterized by the food deficit and malnutrition, inaccessibility to health and education, inability to participate local governance, and vulnerability to insecurities. Rural livelihoods are also prone to dispossession phenomenon. Organizing and empowering the communities, institutionalization, training, education & extension, research, and technical/market support are the principal strategies to improve the livelihoods and food security of poor families.

Theme.1: Environmental & Natural Resource Conservation
Theme.2: Bio-Cultural Protocols and Community Conservation
Theme.3: Ecotourism and Sustainable Development

Program: Promoting the Food Security
Poverty is widespread in rural areas of India, which is caused by marginalization, deprivation and exclusion of certain section of communities, and characterized by the food deficit and malnutrition, inaccessibility to health and education, inability to participate local governance, and vulnerability to insecurities. Rural livelihoods are also prone to dispossession phenomenon. Organizing and empowering the communities, institutionalization, training, education & extension, research, and technical/market support are the principal strategies to improve the livelihoods and food security of poor families.

Theme.1: Sustainable Agriculture Development
Theme.2: Promotion of Sustainable Livelihoods
Theme.3: Rainwater Management & Micro-Irrigation

Program: Democratizing the Governance
Governance is crucial for delivery of development in the modern society. Beginning from gram panchayats to parliament the governance system is systematically failing to address the needs and aspirations of poor and powerless people. Be an elected representative, executive official or public leader, majority of those who govern the public affairs, institutions, or structures remain unaccountable largely. Inclusion of people at large fails to happen. Seeking accountabilities of those who are in power and decision making capacities and striving for inclusive governance are the principal activities under this Program.

Theme.1: Democratization of Local Governance
Theme.2: Increasing Women Representation
Theme.3: Gender Rights and Justice

Along site the Capacity Building and Research functions, the Grassroots Institute principally works for the poorest of the poor people in the rural areas of India. Defining their social/ economic categories, they are dalits, tribes, backward and deprived communities. Among them the focus always remains on the women, youth and farmers. 

Dalits have been historically deprived, marginalized and excluded as a result of unjust caste system. They denote the bottom most people in the social hierarchy. Tribes have been annihilated, annexed, jeopardized and exploited in the society and have been infringed like third citizens. Backward communities have the status somewhere in between. They are economically poor and socially deprived. Muslims in rural India are one of them. Women particularly face the gender violence within and outside home. They live on margins as second citizens.