About Narmada Seva
A note from the founder
I build software for a living. Narmada Seva exists because too many people face their hardest days with no one beside them: elders whose children moved away, families wiped out by a flood, people the system simply forgot. The homes and shelters that take them in deserve steadier help than an occasional festival donation.
We are starting small and we are starting honest. No inflated numbers, no borrowed photos, no promises we cannot keep. What we can promise is a public ledger: every rupee in, every rupee out, with the partner named on each line.
Nikhil SahuFounder, Narmada Seva
Who we help
Anyone in genuine need, through the homes and shelters that care for them. Elders in old age homes come first because that is where we have relationships and can verify every bill, but the fund is for people, not a category: families hit by disaster, people without shelter, whoever the month's need turns out to be.
Why we start in Assam
Because it is home, and because the need here is sharp. Assam sits on the Brahmaputra, and the river floods almost every year. Families migrate for work, elders stay behind on small pensions or none at all, and the homes that take people in run on thin margins. Starting where we can personally verify every partner keeps the ledger honest. As the fund grows, so does the map.
What we fund
Groceries, medicines, caregiver salaries and essential repairs at partner homes and shelters. Wherever possible we pay the vendor directly rather than handing over cash, so the ledger line and the bill match.
How we choose partners
- The home or shelter is registered and its books can be inspected.
- Bills are paid directly to vendors where possible.
- Unannounced visits are allowed, and happen.
- The partner's name and monthly budget are published before the first rupee moves.
Registration
Narmada Seva operates as a registered charitable organisation in India. Our registration documents are available to any donor who asks: write to hello@narmadaseva.org and we will send them. The full details will be published on this page and in the footer of every page.
We are not issuing 80G tax exemption certificates yet, so please give on the basis that there is no tax deduction for now. We would rather say that plainly than let a donor assume otherwise.
The ledger promise
The rule: every donation in and every payment out goes on a public ledger, with the partner named on each line, updated monthly with dates.
The first ledger goes up together with our first partner. Until then, this rule is the standard you can hold us to.
Payment gateway fees and basic running costs come out of donations. The ledger shows exactly how much.
Who is behind this
Right now, the founder. Advisors and team members will be listed here when the relationships are real, and not before.