Since its establishment in March 2024, Unnati Foundation has actively worked across Sikkim and the North-Eastern region of India to strengthen rural livelihoods, enable enterprise development, and support community-led economic transformation.
Our work spans strategic consultancy, enterprise incubation, value chain development, capacity building, and project design, with a strong focus on climate resilience, sustainability, and market integration.
We collaborate closely with Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), cooperatives, entrepreneurs, NGOs, institutions, and government stakeholders to design solutions that are locally rooted, economically viable, and scalable.
Pakyong District, Sikkim | Concept: Oct 2024 · MoU: 17 Jan 2025 · Status: Ongoing
In partnership with Gadi Sunakhari Club and Khadag Nishani Devi Kali Mandir Trust and funded by NHPC (Teesta Stage V), Unnati Foundation is delivering a community-driven sanitation upgrade at the Central Pandam Gadi Fort heritage and trekking corridor. The intervention responds to local youth-led demands to eliminate open defecation, improve public health and make the route visitor-ready for responsible tourism. Technical design, site selection, stakeholder coordination with the District Collector’s Office and construction oversight are underway; the project will be handed over upon completion with documentation for monitoring and future maintenance.
Bermiok–Tokal, Sikkim | 2024–2025 (Consultancy ongoing)
Unnati Foundation provided decision-focused consultancy for BT-FPO to identify scheme-aligned, financially viable agri-enterprise options under the Unnati Scheme and allied programmes. After rigorous feasibility work and an academic partnership with IIM Shillong, the team pivoted from a high-risk multi-product processing concept to a dairy-centric, scheme-convergent pathway supported by exposure visits and technical due diligence. The engagement produced three bankable, phased project models, strengthened FPO governance capacity and positioned the FPO to pursue phased, risk-mitigated investment.
Rhenock Constituency, East Sikkim (Amba & Budang) | Aug 2024 – Feb 2025 (Ongoing)
RTDS was established to shift Rhenock from a transit corridor into a year-round community-led destination. Through institutional formation, asset mapping, destination branding and two village homestay training programmes (50 participants), Unnati aims to lay the foundations for coordinated booking, itinerary development and livelihood linkages. The project emphasises system-building (not one-off events), enabling homestays, guides and local micro-enterprises to participate in sustainable tourism growth.
Sikkim & North-East | 2024–Present
Consultations are a core service: Unnati acted as a regional knowledge partner to interpret the UNNATI 2024 Scheme and help entrepreneurs, FPOs, SHGs and banks to become compliance-ready. Activities included a dedicated scheme convention with the Department of Commerce & Industries, explanatory media, RBI speaker sessions, industry talks and more than 120 individual consultations (calls and online), plus multiple in-person group and one-to-one advisory sessions. Result: improved applicant readiness, stronger scheme uptake and enhanced positioning of Unnati as a trusted advisory intermediary.
Gangtok, Sikkim | Dec 2024 – May 2025
Commissioned by the Department of Information Technology and executed with BotLab Dynamics, Unnati conceptualised and delivered a flagship drone show and an edu-tech workshop to mark Sikkim’s 50th statehood anniversary. The eco-friendly spectacle replaced fireworks, showcased state heritage through choreographed drone visuals and included a hands-on workshop on drone applications for 1,000 students. The initiative combined celebration, STEM exposure and short-term local employment while positioning Sikkim as a tech-aware, sustainability-minded state.
Gangtok, Sikkim | September 2025
Under the RAMP scheme and with the Department of Commerce & Industries, Unnati Foundation delivered a six-day export facilitation programme for nominated government officers to strengthen district-level export support. The curriculum combined banking/forex, 29 practical export case studies, practitioner insights and logistics/compliance training, equipping officers to guide MSMEs towards direct exports. Early institutional outcomes include officers facilitating spice export pathways and district officers initiating product-specific export readiness work.
Shipgyer–Ramom & Chungthang GPUs, Mangan | October 2025
Supported by Sikkim Power Transmission Limited, Unnati Foundation implemented a four-day, hands-on mushroom training focused on tribal communities, women and youth (including Lepcha participants). The programme combined technical cultivation, demonstrations, enterprise orientation and realistic cost–benefit analysis to promote mushroom cultivation as a low-land, high-value livelihood. Strong community interest and requests for continued handholding highlight the programme’s potential to evolve into a scalable livelihood chain for smallholders and SHGs.
Unnati Foundation’s ongoing support (strategic consultancy, project design, capacity building and market linkages) continues to feed the organisation’s flagship frameworks — Project Unnati Mitra (scheme access), Project Udyog Mitra (micro-enterprise incubation), Project Big Business (large investments) and Project Startup Lightspeed (early-stage acceleration). Across engagements the Foundation emphasises community ownership, “decision before investment”, scheme convergence and market-driven sustainability.
Together these projects demonstrate Unnati’s pragmatic, systems-oriented approach: identifying locally viable opportunities, strengthening institutions, converting schemes into implementable projects, and building livelihoods that are climate-aware and market-connected. Each intervention is driven by local consultation, technical rigour and measurable pathways for scale.
Our Approach to Impact | Across all projects, Unnati Foundation follows a consistent approach:
© 2024 Unnati Foundation
