ADHAR is a grassroots level non-profit making, non-political and non-sectarian organisation which was initiated by a group of intellectuals, who were amalgamated in late eighty with a dream to address the prevailing issues of western Orissa which affect the lives of the poorest communities. On 2nd December 1992, it was formally registered as a Voluntary Development Organization. In its early days the primary activities were on disaster management mainly focusing on drought and flood relief activities. Later on, ADHAR decided to focus on the root causes of deprivation and marginalization and categorized them under two heads-
a) the Structural Issues involving the social, economic and cultural determinants and
b) the Systemic Issues involving the policies, schemes and its practices at the ground level.
Because of this paradigm shift on ADHAR’s approach to sustainable development completely module to holistic community centred participatory approach.