Unnayan, etymologically meaning development, was founded in the late 80s by a group of young social workers because of development patterns and paradigm shifts in action. Unnayan has its roots in the restless spirit of visionaries who envisioned a society free from prejudice and, a society free from traps of poverty and process-oriented approaches to development actions. It was officially recognized as a registered company in 1990. Since then, it has worked closely with rural and tribal communities in different parts of Odisha. The organization has a modest central office in Bhubaneswar.