In the last two decades, India has undergone severe changes in the political, economic and cultural spheres. From a largely agrarian based economy, India has made rapid strides towards a knowledge based and technology driven economy. Since the liberalization of the economy in 1991, the country has seen large scale industrial activities and service-based provisions both by domestic as well as foreign players, which had huge impacts on the Indian society. While a large number of the Indian middle class benefited from the economic advancement, it adversely affected a majority of the already disadvantaged people, especially the rural and urban poor. This provides a huge challenge, but also tremendous opportunities for the civil society to make globalization and economic development relevant and inclusive for the large mass of people.

Country programmes are subdivided into various thematic focal areas. The running India programme encompasses the following:

• Social and Ecological Aspects of Globalisation

• Democracy, Human Rights and Social Empowerment

• Inter-religious Dialogue and Conflict Prevention

Within these thematic areas the Heinrich Böll Foundation co-operates with various partners and attempts to engage civil society, government actors, academics, media, corporate actors and the general public in India and abroad.