Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a project of the Ministry of Education (MoE). It has been inspired by the vision of bringing about a transformational change in the rural development processes by leveraging knowledge institutions in helping build the architecture of an inclusive India. Its mission is to connect higher education institutions with local communities to address the developmental challenges of rural India. The needs could be assessed through the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise and appropriate technologies could be suggested to accelerate sustainable growth, leading to a better quality of life. It also aims to create a virtuous cycle between the society and an inclusive university system by providing knowledge and practices for merging professions and upgrading the capabilities of both public and private sectors. 

1. To introduce the development agenda within academic discourse and processes 
2. To inculcate a methodology of field-work and interdisciplinary in academic processes
3. To make higher education institutions Regional Knowledge Providers towards regional problems
4. To improve developmental outcomes such as roads, water, electricity, etc. through better access to knowledge
5. To inculcate scientific thinking within the society

At IIT Bombay, CTARA  has been designated as the nodal coordinating agency for the implementation of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan.

There are three roles that CTARA has under the UBA.

1. Participating Institute (PI)- To develop the linkage with selective rural clusters by involving in the planning process and in promoting necessary S&T interventions to bring development in those clusters. 

2. Regional Coordinating Institution (RCI)- To facilitate, guide and monitor the UBA activities of the Participating Institutions (PI) in their respective regions.  

3. Subject Expert Group (SEG)- To provide necessary resource material and to create mechanisms for the benefit of all the UBA cluster teams.