Kumbakonam Multipurpose Social Service Society (KMSSS) is a Diocesan social work organisation of the Catholic Diocese of Kumbakonam. It has been legally registered under Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 on 26 th November, 1973. The then situation of the Kumbakonam region warranted a strong response from the Diocese to address the socio-economic issues of the poor and marginalised population. At the outset of KMSSS, charity based programmes were carried out. In the early 1990s, there was a paradigm shift, where KMSSS focused on community oriented programmes with involvement and contribution of the target population for their development. Then, in the mid 2000s, along with community development programmes, empowerment approach was adopted to enable the poor and marginalised community to have power and voice in all spheres of their life. It covers 12 blocks of Cauvery delta region: 6 blocks of Thanjavur district, 5 blocks of Ariyalur district and 1 block of Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu. The primary target groups of KMSSS are women, children, youth, small and marginal farmers and families from poor and vulnerable communities.