The Vaazhndhu Kaattuvom Project (VKP) was started in 2005 by the Tamil Nadu Government for the promotion of livelihood & economic empowerment of the marginalized & vulnerable section of society. There is a special focus on women, disabled, tribal and vulnerable population. It is built on the strong foundation laid by 'Mahalir Thittam' (SHG movement) project of the Government of TN which was started in 1989 and has managed to cover 64% of the below poverty line families till date. It has formed almost 3.5 lakh SHGs comprising 57 lakh women through its 600 NGO partners, all nationalized banks & the district offices in the state.

The VKP is a community driven project with a shift in focus from group formation & social empowerment to livelihood promotion & economic empowerment. The project works through village panchayats (by forming Village Poverty Reduction Committees - VPRC) and seeks to improve their governance by making them pro-poor & accountable. It has a strong focus on women, disabled, tribal & vulnerable population in the villages. The VPRC is responsible for implementing the project at the panchayat levels.

The Banyan / BALM and VKP Partnership: Since mental health is a priority in the project, The Banyan was approached by VKP in 2008 to enable them to reach out to persons with mental health issues in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu. As a first step, The Banyan has initiated interventions in 2 districts of Tamil Nadu namely Cuddalore and Vellore and has henceforth conducted training programmes, filed visits, camps, facilitation of day care centres and referrals services in the districts.

The Banyan and BALM propose to expand the interventions to 2 more districts, namely Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur in the future.