NEAC was launched by Government of India through the Ministry of Environment and Forests in the year 1986. The program was designed to be implemented through a model of collaboration with NGOs as Regional Resource Agencies (RRAs). At present, there are 29 RRAs nation wide.

Seva Mandir became a Regional Resource Agency in the year 1993. The NEAC program was designed to provide ground level impetus to Environment awareness initiatives through small grants to NGOs, schools and universities. The grants range from Rs 5000 to Rs 25,000.

During the period 1993 – 2006, Seva Mandir awarded 784 grants through NEAC for a total amount of Rs 1,16,74,500.Of these a majority, 87%, went to NGOs from nearly all the 32 districts of Rajasthan. The Jaipur and Udaipur districts were among the top two districts with a high percentage of grants, 18 and 17 percent respectively. The least number of grants went to Bara and Bundi districts and they accounted for only 0.13% of the total.

In the early years, the NEAC program was designed for activities contributing to awareness on environmental issues. A theme for awareness programmes was announced every year by MOEF. The awareness campaigns, made possible by small grants, were carried out through meetings, workshops, rallies, street theatre and other materials. With an increasing demand for follow up on awareness with some physical works, the NEAC program was expanded to allow for physical activities that would contribute to the theme. Some of the activities that were carried out with these grants include repair of hand pumps, cleaning of community ponds, structures for drinking water supply for cattle, communal bathing rooms in the village etc.

A few learnings from administering the program for more than ten years:

The small grants with a maximum amount of Rs 25,000 came stipulated with the requirement for an awareness component. This coupled with administrative overheads left fairly small amount for any physical work related to the theme.

Another weakness was the need to allocate a significant amount of the funding as administrative and monitoring cost for Seva Mandir as the RRA for running the program. This added to a high percentile for smaller grants.

Finally, a larger grant with a well designed technical manual would go a long way in supporting physical works for the theme of the year.A successful pilot or construction of physical models for let’s say vermin-compost pits goes a long way in community outreach.

Overall, looking back, NEAC program has been very useful for smaller NGOs, many of whom got the initial funds to create an identity for themselves in the community through the program. The program also provided a learning opportunity for the community with the creation of local platforms. Seva Mandir could play a nodal role in providing technical assistance and training and lead a statewide dialogue on common environmental issues. The small grants, we hope went a long way in planting the seed for future community initiatives.