The Poorest Areas Civil Society (PACS) Programme, is a large, non-governmental effort to empower millions of poor people living in many of India's most backward districts. This biennial DA-PACS Workshop, was a step towards accumulating all the experiences of the Poorest Areas Civil Society (PACS) programme spread over six states with a network of 665 CSOs. The PACS Programme strengthened the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) in management systems, training and other skills. These CSOs, in turn, mobilised people for collective action, engaging with issues of drought, children’s rights, land rights, education, disability, employment guarantee and governance.  The Conference focused on issues of Entitlements, Networking and Partnerships, Social Exclusion, Livelihoods, Women’s Empowerment and Local Self Governance. There were many voices from the grassroots, relating experiences and focusing on solutions to the problems.