Our work

Support services for NGOs and community organisations, and direct work with communities across Maharashtra.

Thematic areas

NGOs have power to bring change in the lives of women and the poor.

Climate change mitigation, impact of climate change on health
Working with NGOs, networks and government agencies on climate change issues, promoting resilience and mitigation measures — including consultations on women’s health in the context of climate change.
Natural resource based rural livelihoods
Promoting climate resilient agriculture, native seeds and allied livelihood activities with small NGOs and the farmers they work with.
Gender equality and women empowerment
Supporting women’s groups through training and linkages, and strengthening Self Help Groups and their federations, including their financial planning and literacy.
Disaster management
Relief and rehabilitation since the 1993 Latur earthquake — through the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, the 2005 and 2006 Maharashtra floods, the 2019 western Maharashtra floods and the 2025 Maharashtra floods.

What we offer

Need based, ongoing and participatory support for organisations working in development.

Project designing: Programme policy, project planning, conceptual and theoretical inputs, programme review.
Technical assistance: Evaluation and monitoring, technical inputs in organisational management, assessment and appraisal.
Research and documentation: Research on policy and social issues, studies on development, documentation of innovative experiments and work of NGOs.
Capacity building and organisational development training: Training of human resources and organisational functionaries of NGOs, extending organisational and programme management support, enhancing understanding of conceptual and operational areas, facilitating organisational development, exposure and learning.
Gender and women empowerment: Supporting women’s groups by providing training, facilitating linkages that enable access to gender and development rights, and any other issue related to women’s development.
Networking and linkages: Facilitating and supporting networks and linkages across regions and sectors — NRM based livelihoods, mental health and gender.
Consultancy: Professional inputs to governments, international donor agencies and bilateral development programmes.

Mental healthBuilding mental health resources from within the community — in the urban poverty pockets of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.Read more

LivelihoodClimate resilient agriculture, native seeds and allied livelihoods for smallholder and women farmers.Read more

Requesting support to undertake drought relief and long-term mitigation measures in drought hit Dharashiv and Satara districts

Background: After experiencing 2012 - 2016 severe drought conditions, the state of Maharashtra is suffering from yet another spell of severe drought caused due to Al – Nino effect or climate change caused due to global warming. The drought this year is one of the worst metrological conditions for the people posing many challenges before government and NGOs in the process of arranging relief and other measures. Large parts of Maharashtra fall under semi-arid zone which routinely experience uncertain rainfall and often droughts like conditions. By one estimate, every third year is a drought year for Marathwada, parts of Vidarbha and western Maharashtra which has become an agro-climatic feature / characteristic of these geographies. This situation makes Maharashtra’s large areas highly vulnerable to drought conditions and this year’s drought is yet another such condition for people particularly in these topographies. However, this year the drought situation is very harsh due to fact that an average rainfall in central and south east Maharashtra is not even 100 mm causing severe damage to monsoon crops and natural percolation and conservation processes. The conditions have thus led to drying up of ground and surface water resources, shortage of fodder for cattle and uncertainties for winter (Rabbi) crop predicting huge losses. When people compare the current drought situation with 1971-72 severe drought that had hit entire India very harshly, then there was shortage of food grain but did not have much water scarcity. This year water shortage is very dreadful and posing a serious challenge before government even to meet basic needs of large section of people and cattle.

State Government’s Drought Response 2026: Responding to the emerging drought conditions, Maharashtra government immediately declared 305 talukas as most affected through a notification (14th October Notification). It was also prompt in announcing short term and long - term actions to deal with emerging drought situation. It announced 12 Measures on 25th September through a state notification focusing on drinking water supply, arrangements for drinking water and fodder for cattle, use of G – Ram – G scheme for various soil and water conservation and other development activities, compensation for lost crops, relief for electricity bills for farmers, waiving of school/college fees for students, timely ration for landless labours, measures for long term drought mitigation especially water conservation resources, etc. In addition to these measures, state also announced DBT of Rs. 5000 to affected families. Financial assistance has also been sought from central government as state alone can - not deal with situation given the scale of the drought. This situation also demands close coordination between state administration and NGOs to provide relief and the long - term mitigation measures.

Our Experience: Development Support Team (DST) has worked on various natural calamities in general and its Chairperson Shri Shirish Kulkarni was founder of a leading NGOs network namely ‘Maharashtra Drought Relief and Support Programme which worked on drought relief, livelihood promotion and mobilization of then government relief measures during 2012-16 severe drought experienced by Maharashtra state. Given the harsh drought conditions today, in Jawali block of Satara district and Tuljapur block of Dharashiv district in the state, where DST already have climate resilient agriculture and nutrition development programmes through active involvement of women, has decided to undertake relief and long-term mitigation measures such water conservation works for farming community here to save their livelihood means. This is also necessary to restrict losses to ongoing development programmes in our operational areas.

DST would like to request International Donors, Indian CSRs and individual donors to graciously extend their generous support to our organization to help undertake relief measures such as supply of drinking water, fodder and water for cattle, mobilization of government relief measures for communities and long-term mitigation measures such as soil and water conservation activities. More details of relief plans will be shared on inquiry.

DST is registered under 80G and 12 A provisions of income tax act 1961 and donations to the organization are exempted from income tax as per the prevailing rules.

For details please visit our website www.dstpune.org. Please write to us at developmentst@gmail.com or call at office phone numbers + 91 020 25887524, M: 9422318795.

Our work

Thematic areas

Climate change mitigation, impact of climate change on health

Natural resource based rural livelihoods

Gender equality and women empowerment

Disaster management

What we offer

Appeal to address Maharashtra Drought 2026 - 27

Press coverage — Latur meeting