organisations (CSOs) in promoting inclusive local, district and state policies, programmes and institutions. It focuses on areas of livelihoods, education, health, and nutrition.

PACS will reach out to five million people and their households in 120 districts across the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal. PACS will target socially excluded groups: scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs), Muslim minorities, women, girls and people with disability (PwD). The programme is implemented by the IFIRST Consortium on behalf of DFID.

PACS aims to (i) strengthen demand for improved delivery of services, (ii) make service providers to be more responsive and accountable; and (iii) address the different forms of barriers and discrimination socially excluded groups face in claiming services and benefits.

PACS shall seek to fund a range of civil society organisations (CSOs) and CSO networks in the selected districts.

PACS is managed by Management Consultants, the Indian Forum for Inclusive Response and Social Transformation- IFIRST Consortium on behalf of DFID. The IFIRST Consortium is led by Christian Aid with Caritas India, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS), ACCESS Development Services and Financial Management Service Foundation (FMSF)

PACS in 2001 to 2008 reached over 6 million people in more than 19,564 villages in 94 districts of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. It enabled access of government programme estimating Rs.106 crore, addressed women representation and strengthened and improved Panchayati Raj (Local Self Governance) institutions.