ARCUServes
ARCUServes is the not-for-profit initiative of Arcus Policy Research, envisioned and led by Dr. Shweta Saini, Shobhit Gupta, and Vijay Kumar Saini. Grounded in the principles of inclusive development, ARCUServes aims to empower rural communities by enhancing their capacity to navigate and benefit from public systems. This includes improving awareness of and access to government schemes, entitlements, and institutional support, such as assistance in registering for welfare programs, securing agricultural subsidies, or applying for formal credit. By facilitating targeted outreach and supporting knowledge dissemination, ARCUServes seeks to reduce informational barriers and strengthen community engagement with the state.
At the heart of ARCUServes lies the “Adopt-a-Village” initiative—a sustained effort to promote integrated rural development by transforming selected villages into illustrative models of inclusive and sustainable growth. This vision entails facilitating equitable access to public entitlements, reinforcing local governance mechanisms, and nurturing community-led entrepreneurship, thereby fostering resilient, self-sustaining ecosystems. With a focus on scalability and contextual adaptability, these village models are envisioned as templates that can inform and inspire broader paradigms of rural transformation. The initiative prioritizes strategic engagement in regions such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana, chosen for their latent developmental potential and the scope they offer for participatory change. ARCUServes actively welcomes collaborations with individuals and organizations whose work aligns with this ethos. We remain open to supporting innovative, grounded, and ethically driven proposals that resonate with our mission, offering not just funding but also a platform for shared learning and sustained impact in the rural development landscape.
ARCUServes is committed to advancing rural development through targeted interventions across several critical areas. Empowering Women Entrepreneurs is a cornerstone of our approach, focusing on equipping vulnerable women with essential skills and fostering capacity-building initiatives that enable them to establish and sustain their own businesses. In the realm of education & child development, we prioritize ensuring equitable access to quality education, which we recognize as fundamental for fostering long-term social and economic progress. Addressing the Access to Government Services, ARCUServes works diligently to bridge the gap between rural populations and public services, streamlining the delivery of essential schemes and entitlements, thereby enhancing service accessibility and transparency. In the area of Livelihood Generation, we focus on creating sustainable income opportunities through skill development and the promotion of micro-enterprises.
In pursuit of its broader mission, ARCUServes actively invites individuals, collectives, and institutions to propose contextually grounded and innovative projects that align with our vision of inclusive rural transformation. We are committed to identifying and supporting initiatives that reflect our core values, particularly those that foreground equity, sustainability, and community participation. Through strategic funding and collaborative engagement, ArcusServes seeks to foster a diverse ecosystem of ideas and actors, enabling interventions that not only complement but also enhance our ongoing efforts. By supporting such aligned initiatives, we aim to build synergies that contribute meaningfully to the creation of resilient, empowered rural communities.
