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Many Members Of The Extended Family Of RSS

With 6000 Pracharaks and 15-20 lakh participants, RSS has about 70000 shakhas across the nation besides 60 lakh alumni and affiliate volunteers.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

  • 6,000 pracharaks
  • 15-20 lakh participants in 57,000 daily, 14,000 weekly and 7,000 monthly shakhas
  • 37 affiliates
  • 60 lakh alumni + affiliate volunteers manage about
  • 1.65 lakh projects

***

Politics and Religion

Bharatiya Janata Party: Political arm succeeding the Bharatiya Jana Sangh

  • 11 crore members
  • Around 35 sub-organisations and fronts, including Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (5 crore overlapping members)

Vishwa Hindu Parishad: Hindu religious organisation

  •  65 lakh members
  • 20 sub-organisations, including Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini

***

Labour/Trade/Industries

  • Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh: India’s largest labour union (1.7 crore members and 4,300 affiliate unions)
  • Bharatiya Kisan Sangh: India’s largest farmer union (32 lakh farmers in 26 states)
  • Swadeshi Jagaran Manch: Economy think-tank
  • Grahak Panchayat: Consumer protection
  • Laghu Udyog Bharati: Small industries
  • Sahakar Bharati: Cooperatives

***

Culture

  • Kreeda Bharati: Sports
  • Sanskar Bharati: Arts/artists
  • Sanskrit Bharati: Sanskrit
  • Sahitya Parishad: Literature
  • Kutumb Prabodhan: Family values (reached out to 1.25 crore people and 20 lakh families)
  • Balagokulam: Cultural training for children
  • Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana: Write/rewrite history

***

Social Sector

  • Seva Bharati: Social service; apex body of 972 organisations. Runs 80,870 projects in 30,909 places, while rest of Sangh and its affiliates oversee more than 74,700 projects.
  • Bharat Vikas Parishad: Social service NGO
  • Deendayal Shodh Sansthan: Rural development
  • Gram Vikas: Village development
  • Seema Jankalyan Samiti: Border area development
  • Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram: Tribal welfare (20,026 projects in 14,166 places)

***

Education

  • Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal: Education advocacy
  • Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh: Teachers’ union (76 affiliate associations)
  • Pragya Pravah: Right-wing intelligentsia
  • Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad: University students’ union (32 lakh members)
  • Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan: School education (32.92 lakh students taught by 1.5 lakh teachers in 12,754 formal schools, including Saraswati Sishu Mandirs plus 12,618 informal schools)

***

Community Groups

  • Rashtriya Sevika Samiti: Women’s group (4 lakh active members with 4,500 regular shakhas in 10 countries running around 500 projects)
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  • Rashtriya Sikh Sangat: 500 branches in India
  • Rashtriya Muslim Manch: Islamic wing, formed recently

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Health

  • National Medicos Organisation: Doctors’ association
  • Arogya Bharati: Public health
  • Kushth Rog Nivaran Samiti: NGO for leprosy patients

Source: The RSS: A View to the Inside by Walter K. Andersen; executive committees of various Sangh affiliates

Graphics by SAJI C.S.

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