Rural Institute for Socio-Technological Action (RISTA) was constituted by a group of enthusiastic young social researchers led by Mr. Prafulla kumar Maharana, a development professional in Delang block at Sauria village, popularly known as Ristapalli under Puri district in the state of Odisha with an aim to bring a positive change in the life of socially economically disadvantaged groups of the society through creating a common platform in shape of CBOs, addressing gaps at information level & doing advocacy in shape of people centred advocacy and skilling & transferring technology to the target community in partnership mode with service providing agencies. RISTA was registered under Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 in the year 1994.
Currently, RISTA is operating in 21 GPs in five blocks (Delanga, Satyabadi & Pipli and Papdahandi & Khairiput) of the three districts of Puri & Nabarangpur and Malkangiri. It is intervening in the areas of education & child rights, WASH (Water Sanitation & Hygiene), Participatory local self Governance, livelihood & community health awareness program, women & adolescent empowerment and Community Based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP). RISTA believes in cadre developments and through the trained volunteers at different locations, it is working and orienting the target community with its own fund donated by its board members at regular intervals as well as funds from the individual donors collected in the locality.
