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Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in India – Need, Roles, Regulations, Issues

From Current Affairs Notes for UPSC » Editorials & In-depths » This topic

Non-Governmental Organisations, for a long time, have played a significant role in a variety of fields ranging from disaster relief to advocacy of the marginalised and disadvantaged communities. They are currently a major part of the civil society, which bring rapid change and social transformation within the country. However, in recent decades, India has been a difficult environment for the NGOs due to vague laws that are stopping them from questioning the unjust government policies, discrimination, advocating for the rights of the marginalised communities and other deprived groups. Successive Indian governments have often tried to curb their activities. This is due to the limitations of Indian laws. Taking measures to ensure NGOs’ transparency and accountability through just laws and mechanisms can allow these organisations to work with the government, leading to the promotion of democratic values and social justice at the grass-root level.

This topic of “Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in India – Need, Roles, Regulations, Issues” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination , which falls under General Studies Portion.

What is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)?

• According to the World Bank, NGOs are private organisations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development.
• NGOs are legally-constituted organisations that operate independently from the government and are generally considered to be non-state, non-profit oriented groups who pursue the interests of the public.
• They are also called Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), charitable organisations, voluntary organisations etc.
• These organisations are usually set up by ordinary citizens and are involved in a wide range of activities that may have charitable, social, political, religious or other interests.
• In India, NGOs can be registered under a plethora of Acts like Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860, Religious Endowments Act, 1863, Indian Trusts Act etc.

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How many NGOs are there in India?

• India may have the largest number of active NGOs in the world.
• However, the specific number of NGOs is not available.
• A study commissioned by the government put the number of NGOs in 2009 at 33 lakh. That is one NGO for fewer than 400 Indians.

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History of India’s NGOs:

• In the first half of the 19 th century , the idea of voluntary organisations came into Indian society for the first time with the initiation of social reform movements. Reform movements brought in the spirit of devoting life to aid the disadvantaged sections of the society. These movements recognised the rights of women and untouchables.
• The second half of the 19 th century saw the prospering of institutionalised reform movements like Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission etc. This led the government to pass the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• Between 1900 and 1947 , successful attempts were made to channelize the voluntary spirit for the political action and mass mobilisation to gain independence from the oppressive colonial regime.
• The post-independence period saw a large number of voluntary organisations involved in the process of nation-building. The shift to neoliberal economic and political planning brought forth the fast-paced growth of voluntary organisations.

How are the NGOs funded?

Government:

• Globally, NGOs assist governments to implement their welfare schemes at the grassroots.
• In India, ministries like Health and Family Welfare (HFW), Human Resource Development (HRD), Women and Child Development (WCD) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) have separate sections to deal with the NGOs.
• These ministries are flooded with requests for grants from the NGOs. However, only a handful of the NGOs linked with politicians, bureaucrats or other high-profile individuals get hefty government funds.

Foreign Sources:

• The NGOs can receive funding from abroad only if they are registered with the Home Ministry under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
• Without the registration, no NGO can receive cash or anything of value higher than Rs.25,000.

Why do we need NGOs?

• Since independence, India has seen an improved standard of living, increased access to education and health and poverty
• However, India still faces the issues of exclusion of women , children and the marginalised communities in the development process.
• This led to the problem of Naxalism , farmer suicide s, protests for reservations etc.
• India holds 130 th position in the 2018 Human Development Index ranking. Also, according to the Global Hunger Index of 2018, 38.4% of children under five in India are stunted.
• In such an environment, NGOs are vital in raising the concerns of the people and ensuring the inclusive growth of all within society.
• The state needs the constructive and collaborative engagement of the civil society in its various developmental programs and activities so that these initiatives are implemented at the grass-root level.

What are the Indian legislations related to NGOs?

 constitution:.

• Article 19(1) (c) provides for the right to form associations.
• Article 43 emphasises the State’s need to promote cooperatives in rural areas.

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)

• FCRA was enacted in 1976 during the emergency period.
• This law regulates all grants, non-Indian gifts and donations.
• It also bans electoral candidates, political parties, judges, MPs and even cartoonists from accepting foreign contributions. This was done to prevent foreign interference in domestic politics.
• It was amended in 2010 to bar the organisations of “political nature” from accepting foreign contributions and mandated the organisations receiving foreign funds to renew their licences every 5 years.
• In 2014, the Delhi High Court found that both the BJP and the Congress were violating the FCRA provisions by accepting funds from the multinational Vedanta Group Subsidiaries.
• In 2016, the government amended the FCRA, 2010 so that the contributions from foreign companies (with 50% shareholding) to no-for-profit, political parties and candidates contesting elections, newspapers, government employees etc., does not come under the definition of foreign source.
• This amendment made it legal for the political parties to accept foreign aid through Indian subsidiaries like Vedanta.
• It also allowed the companies to ease the Corporate Social Responsibility spending, as the repetitive consent from the Ministry of Home Affairs is no longer required for the disbursement of funds from foreign companies.
• Also, it allowed the NGOs to get foreign funds more easily, though they have to get permission from the MHA first.

NGO’s compliance with FCRA:

• As per the Act, the NGO that accepts the foreign contribution has to register with the MHA and such contribution can only be accepted through designated banks.
• The NGO also has to report to the union government about any foreign contribution within 30 days after receiving it.
• The annual reports need to be filed by the NGOs to the MHA. They must report the amount of foreign contribution, the source, how it was received, the purpose for which it was received and how it was utilised.
• If NGOs don’t comply with the FCRA, the government can penalise them. For instance, if the NGOs do not file the annual returns, the government can issue a show-cause notice and can later suspend or cancel their foreign funding licences.
• The licences of about 20,000 NGOs were cancelled in the past few years by the Central government after they were found to have been violating the provisions of FCRA Act.

Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA):

• It aims to consolidate and amend the law related to foreign exchange to facilitate external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.
• The transaction under this Act is called a fee or a salary while the same under FCRA is called a grant or a contribution.
• In 2016, the powers of the Ministry of Finance to monitor the NGOs were placed under the FEMA to bring all NGOs that receive foreign contributions under one umbrella for better monitoring and regulations of the funds.
• This was done to make sure that only one custodian monitors the flow of the foreign funds to these organisations.

What are the roles of NGOs?

• In India, based on the law under which they operate and the kind of activities they are involved in, the NGOs are classified into the following broad categories:
• Registered Societies formed for specific purposes
• Charitable Organisations and Trusts
• Local Stakeholders Groups, Microcredit and Thrift Enterprises, Self Help Groups
• Professional Self-Regulatory Bodies
• Cooperatives
• Government Promoted Third Sector Organisations

Some of the roles undertaken by the NGOs are as follows:

Advocacy/social safety:

• The NGOs play an important role in ensuring public awareness about social problems and needs.
• They are the voices of the people at the grass-root level.
• They can research, analyse and inform the public about the issues they advocate or fight for.
• Activism and lobbying are also some of the other roles played by the NGOs.

Enhancing the performance of the government :

• The NGOs make sure that the government is accountable to the citizens.
• They make sure that governance is inclusive rather than sectarian.
• They encourage innovation and flexibility in policymaking by providing their independent expertise and research.
• They are also involved in the monitoring and evaluation of government policies. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) takes in the reports and social audits by the NGOs while preparing its reports.
• The non-profit sector can be used as a flexible mechanism through which those who are concerned about social or economic problems can respond to them.
• It also includes groups of people who wish to do public good that exceeds government or social support.
• NGOs also assist in constructive conflict resolution. In international politics, Track II diplomacy (involving non-governmental bodies) plays a significant role in creating an environment of trust and confidence.
• They ensure efficient delivery of services at the local level through community participation.

Capacity Building:

• They can provide education, training and information for free to people who cannot afford it.

Ensuring community participation:

• The non-profit organisations are capable of indulging in constructive dialogue with the communities, particularly the most disadvantaged.
• This will allow for the promotion of community participation during the times of disasters, economic recessions etc.
• This ensures efficient delivery of essential humanitarian services, development and social services at the ground level.

What are the issues with the NGO?

• Difficult to monitor: Monitoring of the NGOs is a challenge as it is very difficult to distinguish whether an organisation wants to work for a cause or have been established for the getting government grants.
• Bias: Financial dependence on the government makes NGOs less willing to speak out against the government.
• Ulterior motive: NGOs have acted as a cover for organised crimes in past and are often seen as fronts for extremist causes .
• Foreign interference: NGOs that are funded by foreign sources are accused of organising agitations and preventing developmental projects in India. It is often said that these NGOs are used by foreign countries to create propaganda to stall the developmental projects. Example: Kudankulam Protest.
• Interference: The NGOs are often seen as an encroachment of centuries-old tradition and culture of people, leading to public protests against them. Jallikattu protests following the PIL by PETA is one such example.
• Lack of supportive mechanisms: Many NGOs do not have the necessary funding, legal teams, or other needed professionals.
• Not transparent: CBI has found that only 10% of the total registered NGOs under the Social Registration Act file annual financial statements.
• Money laundering: Corrupt NGOs that receive foreign funds may serve as channels for money laundering .

Do NGOs come under the RTI Act?

• Last year, the Supreme Court had held that the NGOs that are “substantially financed, directly or indirectly”, by government funds will fall within the ambit of “public authority” under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 .
• “Substantial” here means a large portion. It does not necessarily have to mean a major portion or more than 50%.
• This would mean that these NGOs have to maintain records as provided under the Act, and all Indian citizens have the rights to get information from them.

What can be the way forward?

• A National Accreditation Council involving academicians, activists, retired bureaucrats etc., should be set up to ensure compliance by the NGOs.
• Improved coordination within the government : Ministries of Home Affairs and Finance must enhance their coordination to ensure better monitoring and regulation of illicit and unaccounted funds.
• A transparent regulatory mechanism to look into the financial activities of the NGOs and voluntary organisations is the need of the hour.
• Citizens should play a proactive role in the democratic processes that go beyond the ritual of voting. They, through the behavioural change, should bring forth social justice, gender equality, inclusive growth etc. For this to happen, the government must promote sound communication strategies with the inclusion of media and transparent NGOs.
• Laws to promote transparency: The government should frame guidelines that mandate the organisations to maintain their accounts in certain procedures. Also, the government should take measures to obtain balance sheets when the organisations fail to provide them. General Financial Rules, 2005 mandates a regulatory mechanism for the NGOs and comprehensive law in accordance with these rules must be framed as soon as possible.

Conclusion:

In recent decades, many NGOs in India have aided the government to serve its citizens by pushing for laws including those on the RTI, food security and rural employment. Still, India’s disproportionate number of NGOs and their lack of transparency and accountability must be dealt with quickly to prevent any unfavourable repercussions. However, the current government’s cracking down of rights-based NGOs through vague legislations goes against justice. The government must ensure that the NGOs work transparently and it must work alongside these organisations for the welfare of the people and the safety of democracy.

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Cooperation between the government and the NGOs is vital for the safety of the democracy and welfare of all. Elucidate.

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The NGO sector in India: historical context and current discourse

1991, Voluntas

The last two decades have witnessed a veritable mushrooming of NGOs in India. What, however, is inadequately appreciated is that the conversion of voluntarism into primarily a favoured instrumentality for developmental intervention has changed what was once an organic part of civil society into merely a sector — an appendage of the developmental apparatus of the state. Further, this process of instrumental appropriation has resulted in these agencies of self-activity losing both their autonomy and political-transformative edge. What is required, therefore, is to reorientate voluntarism from a framework of subserving the needs of delivery to one promoting self-governance in the widest sense.

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This paper examines the role of non-government organisations (NGOs) and the implications for democratisation in India. By analysing one such organisation, this paper argues that NGOs do not always contribute positively to the democratisation process. It shows how Seva Mandir, an NGO working in the tribal areas of Rajasthan, has adopted a purely technocratic and apolitical service delivery approach and promoted a neo-liberal model of development. The unintended consequence of promoting this model has been the growth of a culture of ‘organised dependency’ at the grass-roots level, which has adversely affected the larger objectives of empowerment and democratisation.

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In recent decades NGOs have increased their numbers and range of activities to a level where they have become increasingly dependent on a limited number of donors. Consequently competition has increased for funding, as have the expectations of the donors themselves. This runs the risk of donors adding conditions which can threaten the independence of NGOs; for example, an over-dependence on official aid has the potential to dilute “the willingness of NGOs to speak out on issues which are unpopular with governments”. In these situations NGOs are being held accountable by their donors, which can erode rather than enhance their legitimacy, a difficult challenge to overcome. Some commentators have also argued that the changes in NGO funding sources has ultimately altered their functions. The scale and variety of of activities in which NGOs participate has grown rapidly since the 1980s, witnessing particular expansion in the 1990s.This has presented NGOs with a need to balance the pressures of centralisation and decentralisation. Conversely it may also be advantageous to decentralise as this can increase the chances of an NGO responding more flexibly and effectively to localised issues by implementing projects which are modest in scale, easily monitored, produce immediate benefits and where all involved know that corruption will be punished. This paper emphasis on the present challenges and issues of Non Governmental organization in society.

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In the contemporary reformulations of governance for development, NGOs are both courted and critiqued; while counted upon to replace the state in a variety of arenas and activities, their capacity, credibility and legitimacy to do so is increasingly questioned. Growth has made the sector visible; visibility, in turn, has attracted critical attention, particularly on questions of governance of NGOs, from policy and research communities. In this paper we briefly review the governance literature and suggest that the question of governance of and in NGOs would profit from studying the how and why of governing structures and decisions, the manner of their operationalisation, including processes of mediation and reshaping. We seek to contextualise the issue by reviewing the growth of NGOs in the post-independent phase in India, delineating the diversity in the field, examining the organisational characteristics, and reviewing some of the governance challenges as they are negotiated. We then discuss the governing structures of NGOs and stakeholder linkages by taking the vantage point of a ‘median’ NGO. Nothing that the debate on NGO governance has oscillated between the two extremes of autonomy and accountability we conclude by suggesting further scholarship on the construct of ‘accountable autonomy’ that would further both democratic norms and practice and developmental outcomes.

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The decline or retreat of the state as well as the triumph of the market today is accompanied by increasing attention to Civil Society Organizations. There is a newfound expectation that NGOs or the ‘third’ sector is better placed as compared to the other stakeholders to provide leadership for social reconstruction in the developing world in particular. This article seeks

Rajesh Tandon

Rajesh Tandon ([email protected]) is the Founder–President of Participatory Research in Asia, New Delhi. Systemic reform of the institutional and legal framework for non-profi t organisations in India is long overdue, but its absence does not imply that their societal, developmental and professional contributions should be ignored, decried, or devalued. A bench of the Supreme Court was “startled by the number of NGOs operating in India”1 when it was informed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in the third week of September 2016, that there were nearly 31 lakh non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country and only 8%–10% had fi led their accounts with the registrar of societies. It is surprising that the Supreme Court should have got “startled.” But, what is truly startling is that the judges went on to declare that NGOs get “mind-boggling” funds and it has become a “major problem,”2 implying that these funds were “unaccounted” for, and no useful purpose is bei...

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NGO’s and Voluntary Organisation (Introduction, Roles, Features, Challenges)

NGO's and Voluntary Organisation

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) have played a crucial role in the development landscape of India, contributing significantly to social welfare, empowerment, and community development. The term “NGO” refers to voluntary organizations that operate independently of direct government control, embodying democratic principles and welcoming individuals who voluntarily choose to become members and contribute to societal well-being. 

NGOs in India are characterized by their commitment to social causes and their independence from direct governmental influence. While they may seek financial support from the government, they typically operate based on their own principles and programs. The term “NGO” has gained global recognition and respect for the valuable welfare services these organizations provide to society (Punalekar, during Tsunami 2004 in Toothukudi, Tamil Nadu).

Voluntary Organizations (VOs), a synonym for NGO’s, are designed to be open to voluntary membership, allowing individuals to join or leave the organization based on their own choices. However, it is important to note that membership in these organizations is not entirely unrestricted. VOs often have specific eligibility criteria for admission, and individuals must meet these criteria with the approval of existing members. Therefore, while NGOs are voluntary in relative terms, they maintain a structured and regulated membership process (Masihi, during Tsunami 2004)

Historical Roots and Global Presence

Evolution of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs)

The history of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) dates back to at least 1839, gaining prominence in pivotal movements such as anti-slavery and women’s suffrage. By 1914, an estimated 1083 NGOs were actively engaged in global affairs. The zenith of INGO influence coincided with the World Disarmament Conference, marking a period of significant impact. However, the term “Non-Governmental Organisation” entered popular usage only after the establishment of the United Nations Organization in 1945.

The United Nations Charter, specifically Article 71 of Chapter 10, acknowledged the consultative role of organisations not affiliated with governments or member states. This recognition laid the foundation for the widespread use of the term “non-governmental organisation.” The formal definition of an “International NGO” (INGO) emerged in a resolution by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on February 27, 1950. It clarified that an INGO is “any international organisation not founded by an International treaty.”

The pivotal role of NGOs and major groups in sustainable development gained explicit recognition in Chapter 27 of Agenda 21. This acknowledgment set the stage for establishing consultative relationships between the United Nations and non-governmental organisations. The consultation mechanism became a crucial aspect of fostering collaboration on global developmental issues.

The non-governmental sector experienced rapid growth in Western countries, driven by the restructuring of the welfare state. The fall of the communist system further accelerated the globalisation of this process, aligning with the principles of the Washington Consensus. As the non-governmental sector evolved, it played an increasingly vital role in shaping international agendas, advocating for human rights, and contributing to sustainable development initiatives.

Brief history of Voluntary Organisation and NGOs in India

Voluntarism in Ancient India:

Ancient civilizations witnessed the manifestation of voluntarism through charity, philanthropy, and relief activities, addressing needs via religious channels. Even during the Rig Vedic period, communities and rulers actively engaged in assisting those in need during crises such as floods, famine, and epidemics. Voluntarism in early India evolved as a philanthropic endeavour, deeply embedded in cultural heritage. Groups like Atmiya Sabha (1815) and religious institutions significantly contributed to these early voluntary initiatives.

Voluntarism during the Colonial Period:

The colonial period brought new impetus to voluntarism in India. The Laissez Faire policy of the British Government in economic, religious, and social matters left avenues for development through self-help voluntarism. Social reform movements led by figures like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, and Swami Vivekananda initiated philanthropic efforts, addressing societal ills. During British rule, voluntary organisations proliferated, engaging in diverse welfare and relief works. Organisations like the Unitarian Committee (1822) and Brahmo Samaj (1828) emerged during this period.

Gandhian Era and Voluntarism:

Mahatma Gandhi significantly influenced the voluntarism landscape in India during the freedom movement. Gandhi’s emphasis on self-reliance, community empowerment, and non-violence transformed voluntarism into a principled and value-based action. Initiatives like Charkha, Khadi, and Gramodyog became symbols of voluntariness and shared responsibility. Various organisations founded by Gandhiji, such as Harijan Sevak Sangh and Gramodyog Sangh, contributed to the voluntarism ethos.

Post-Independence Voluntarism:

After independence, the legacy of Gandhian voluntarism continued with leaders like Vinoba Bhave and Jaya Prakash Narayan promoting initiatives like Bhoodan and Gramdan Movements. The first two decades of independence focused on nation-building, with voluntary organisations playing a crucial role. Government initiatives like the National Extension Service and Central Social Welfare Board further shaped the voluntarism landscape. The 1970s and 1980s witnessed a proliferation of NGOs with increased specialisation, scope, and professionalism. Organisations like Association for Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development (AVARD) (1958) played a pivotal role.

Voluntary Organizations since the 1990s:

Since the early 1990s, there has been a steady growth of voluntary organisations in India. The Seventh Plan emphasised greater involvement of the voluntary sector, and the government provided support through funding and partnerships. The changing paradigm of development, increased international funding, and GO-NGO partnerships contributed to the rapid growth of the voluntary sector. The 1990s marked a shift towards more targeted work with specific groups, such as women, children, and marginalised communities. Notable organisations like Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) estimated around 1.2 million NGOs working in India.

National Policy on the Voluntary Sector:

In 2007, the Government of India approved the National Policy on the Voluntary Sector, signalling a new working relationship between the government and voluntary organisations. The policy aimed to create an enabling environment, legitimise financial support, encourage collaboration based on trust and respect, and promote transparent and accountable governance in voluntary organisations. The policy recognized the significant contributions of the voluntary sector to addressing societal challenges and advocated for a collaborative and empowering approach.

Various Definition to NGOs

Duggal (1988) defines NGOs in the following manner: 

(i) They are registered as public trusts or societies; 

(ii) The different programmes adopted by the NGOs are welfare ones and sometimes government funded too; 

(iii) NGOs as a rule do not generate their own funds completely but rely on external financial assistances from government agencies-both national and international; 

(iv) They are private organisations, but their nature makes them somewhat different from what one generally expects from a private sector. Thus, they are not supposed to make any profit. 

Rajasekhar (2000) defines the term NGO that undertakes voluntary action, social action and social movements. 

The World Bank defines Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) as a private organisation that pursues activities to relieve suffering, promote the interest of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development”. In other words, NGOs are legally constituted organisations, operate independently from the government and are generally considered to be non-state, non-profit oriented groups who pursue purposes of public interest”.

Characteristics of NGOs

• Not-for-Profit Orientation: NGOs are not established for personal profit. Even if they employ individuals or engage in revenue-generating activities, they do not distribute profits or surpluses to members or management.
• Voluntary Nature: NGOs are formed voluntarily, and there is typically an element of voluntary participation within the organisation.
• Formal or Institutional Existence: Distinguished from informal or ad hoc groups, NGOs usually have a degree of formal or institutional existence. This may involve formal statutes or governing documents outlining their mission, objectives, and scope, with accountability to members and donors.
• Independence: NGOs operate independently, especially from government bodies, public authorities, political parties, or commercial organisations.

Bhose (2003) contributes additional characteristics:

• Legal Registration: NGOs are registered under specific government acts such as the Societies Act, Trust Act, or Trade Union Act. Some NGOs may also register under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to obtain funds from abroad.
• Flexibility: NGOs demonstrate flexibility in intervention, free from bureaucratic obstacles, enabling quick decision-making in response to community needs.
• Non-Profit Orientation: NGOs are not profit-oriented. Surpluses and gains, if any, are reinvested for development purposes.
• Not Self-Serving: NGOs are established for the benefit of the underserved and impoverished, not for the benefit of the promoters.
• High Motivation: Members and staff exhibit high motivation to work for the cause, driven by social values and humanitarian principles.
• Freedom in Work: NGO workers enjoy maximum freedom in their fieldwork, organising communities, and implementing development schemes.
• Value-Driven: NGOs are driven by social values and humanitarian principles, aiming to promote a value-based society.
• People-Oriented: People are at the heart of NGOs, involving them in planning and implementation, learning from their experiences, and replicating successful initiatives.

Types of NGO's in India

Manoranjan Mohanty, Anil K. Singh (2001) has classified the NGOs/VOs of India in nine broad groups on the basis of the following parameter /basis:

• Organisational Forms/Legal Status:
• Societies (e.g., Society for the Improvement of Weaker Sections, Tamil Nadu)
• Foundations (e.g., Family Planning Foundation, New Delhi)
• Trusts (e.g., Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, Madhya Pradesh)
• Cooperatives (e.g., Chhotanagpur Catholic Mission Cooperative Society, Bihar)
• Business & Commercial Organizations or Enterprises (e.g., Rajasthan Consultancy Organisation Ltd.)
• Panchayati Raj Institutions (e.g., All India Panchayat Parishad, New Delhi)
• Trade Unions (e.g., Textile Labour Association, Gujarat)
• Citizen’s Groups (e.g., Citizen Uplift Society, Maharashtra)

        2. Sources of Inspiration (Ideological/Political /Economic/Religious Affinities/Philosophical Base/Social Reforms):

• Gandhian VOs (e.g., Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi)
• Marxist/Left/Radical Groups/Naxalite Groups (e.g., J.P. Seva Samiti, UP)
• Christian Missionaries and Church-Based Groups
• Islamic/Buddhist/Sikh/Organizations/Temple-Based Developmental VOs
• Vivekananda/Ramakrishna Missions
• Sri Aurobindo Societies
• RabindraNath Tagore Societies
• Social Reformist Groups inspired by various leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotiba Phule, etc.

        3. Period of Establishment/Origin:

• Pre-Independence/Old Generation VOs
• Post-Independence/New Generation VOs

        4. Area of Operation:

• Rural-Based VOs
• Urban-Based VOs

        5. Form of Control/Governance:

• Self-Controlled/Managed VOs
• Private VOs (Privately & Independently controlled by founders or nominees)
• Government-Sponsored (Gongos)
• Quasi-Autonomous NGOs (Quangos)
• Business-Sponsored VOs (Bongos)
• Political Party-Sponsored Organizations (Phngos)
• Donors-Sponsored Organizations (Fungos)
• NGO-Sponsored/Subsidiary NGOs

        6. Functional Diversity:

• Single-Function VOs
• Multi-Function VOs

        7. Size:

• Small (Village Committees/Rural Youth Clubs)
• Medium (Block/District-Level Organizations)
• Large-Sized Organizations (Umbrella Support Organizations)

        8. Specialized Foundation/Sector-Specific Dominant Functional Role:

• Various Needs-Based Clientele Groups/Professional and Consultancy VOs
• Advocacy and Information Dissemination Organizations
• Research and Evaluation VOs
• Service Delivery Organizations
• Networking and Alliance Building/Support Organizations/Fundraising VOs
• Training and Capacity-Building VOs

        9. Target Group:

• Youth Clubs
• Women’s Organizations
• Farmer/Peasant Organizations
• Artisan Groups
• Scheduled Caste Welfare Organizations
• Scheduled Tribe Welfare Organizations
• Child Welfare and Development VOs
• Aged Welfare Organizations
• Physically Handicapped/Less Abled Persons Welfare VOs
• Drug/Alcoholics Addiction Centers

       10. Sources of Funding/Degree of Autonomy & Independence:

• Community Voluntary Source Funded VOs
• Government Funded VOs
• NGO-Funded VOs

        11. Levels of Operation:

• Grassroots/Local/Peripheral VOs
• National/Intermediary Groups
• International NGOs

Need / Significance for NGO’s

• Poverty and Hunger Alleviation: NGOs in India play a crucial role in mitigating poverty and hunger by providing essential support such as food, shelter, and livelihood opportunities to marginalised communities. For instance, organisations like Akshaya Patra run mid-day meal programs, ensuring school children receive nutritious meals.
• Quality Education for All: Addressing the inequality in education access, NGOs establish schools and educational programs. Pratham, a prominent NGO, focuses on improving learning outcomes among underprivileged children through innovative education initiatives.
• Healthcare Access: NGOs organise health camps and awareness programs, ensuring medical assistance reaches vulnerable populations. Examples include the work of organisations like SEWA Rural and Smile Foundation, which provide healthcare services to underserved communities.
• Women’s Empowerment: NGOs actively promote gender equality and empower women through vocational training and skill development. The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has been instrumental in empowering women in the informal sector.
• Environmental Conservation: Addressing environmental threats, NGOs engage communities in sustainable practices. Examples include the efforts of Greenpeace India in advocating for ecological sustainability and pollution control.
• Rural Development: NGOs focus on poverty alleviation, sanitation, and livelihood improvement in rural areas. Organisations like PRADAN work towards enhancing the quality of life in villages through sustainable development initiatives.
• Child Welfare: NGOs prioritise child rights protection, working to prevent child labour and ensure child protection. Bachpan Bachao Andolan is an organisation dedicated to eradicating child labour and trafficking.
• Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation: During natural disasters, NGOs like Goonj and Oxfam India are often the first responders, providing immediate relief and aiding in rehabilitation efforts.
• Empowerment Through Skill Development: Skill development programs by NGOs like National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) equip individuals with employable skills, contributing to poverty reduction.
• Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods: NGOs create sustainable livelihoods for marginalised communities by promoting income-generating activities and entrepreneurship. Organisations like Aga Khan Rural Support Programme focus on sustainable rural development.

Role of NGO's in India

• Filling Gaps in Government Services: NGOs, such as Prayas and CRY, fill critical service gaps in areas where government resources may fall short, ensuring essential services are provided to those in need.
• Advocacy and Policy Influence: Organisations like Amnesty International India actively engage in advocacy, influencing policies and regulations to foster positive social change and protect human rights.
• Grassroots Mobilisation: NGOs like SEEDS work directly with communities at the grassroots level, understanding their needs and preferences to tailor interventions effectively.
• Disaster Relief: During emergencies, NGOs like ActionAid India and CARE India act as crucial first responders, delivering immediate relief and aiding communities in the recovery process.
• Promoting Sustainable Development: NGOs such as TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) champion sustainable practices, working towards long-term solutions for environmental and social challenges.
• Empowering the Marginalised: Organisations like Navjyoti India Foundation empower marginalised communities by providing them with skills, education, and resources, fostering holistic development.

Challenges Facing Indian NGO’s

Corruption :  India ranks 86th out of 180 countries in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index.

• Impact: Rampant corruption affects NGOs heavily, jeopardising funds and hindering social programs. In 2015, around 9,000 NGOs were deregistered for misusing foreign funds.

Lack of Accountability and Transparency : A CBI report highlighted that 58 NGOs misused funds totaling Rs 350 crore between 2016 and 2018.

• Impact: Limited checks and balances enable misappropriation of resources, undermining the effectiveness of NGOs.

Lack of Impact Assessment : Only 37% of Indian NGOs have a structured impact assessment mechanism (Centre for Civil Society).

• Impact: Without proper impact assessment, evaluating program effectiveness becomes challenging, eroding donor trust.

Inadequate Funding : Funding for NGOs fell by 30% between 2014 and 2017 (Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs).

• Impact: Decreased financial support hampers NGO programs, hindering their ability to achieve goals and sustain operations.

Political Interference : 13,000 NGOs were deregistered between 2014 and 2018, citing FCRA violations (Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative).

• Impact: NGOs facing accusations of working against government interests experience increased scrutiny and harassment.

NGO Growth and Challenges : Over 3 million NGOs in 26 states, handling substantial funds. Lack of collaboration between government organisations and NGOs, communication gaps, and various operational challenges.

​​Sources of Funding for Indian NGO’s

• Government Grants: The Government of India allocates various grants to NGOs registered under the Societies Registration Act or the Indian Trusts Act. These grants are specifically designed to support targeted social causes, including women’s empowerment, child welfare, and environmental conservation.

            Ex: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Rural Development.

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Numerous Indian companies are mandated to allocate a percentage of their profits to CSR activities, which may involve funding NGOs. NGOs can seek financial support by presenting proposals that align with the CSR objectives of these companies.

             Ex: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Reliance Industries Limited, Infosys

• Foreign Donors: International organisations and foreign governments contribute funds to Indian NGOs. However, it is imperative for NGOs to adhere to the regulations outlined in the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) before accepting donations from foreign entities.

             Ex: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Oxfam International

• Philanthropic Foundations: National and international philanthropic foundations also play a significant role in funding Indian NGOs. However, competition for funding from these foundations can be intense. NGOs seeking support from philanthropic foundations must formulate a well-defined strategy to enhance their chances of securing funding.

            Ex: Azim Premji Foundation, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Rockefeller Foundation

Legal framework for NGO's in India

• Formation: NGOs can register as a society with the Registrar of Societies. The society must have a governing body, rules, and regulations.
• Objectives: Societies are suitable for organisations with a broader mandate and collaborative approach. They often operate in areas such as culture, sports, education, and welfare.
• Formation: NGOs can create a trust by executing a trust deed, typically involving a trustee, beneficiaries, and the purpose of the trust.
• Objectives: Trusts are suitable for organisations focused on charitable or religious activities. They provide a straightforward structure for managing resources for specific purposes.
• Formation: NGOs can register as Section 8 Companies by applying for a licence under the Companies Act. These companies must have the promotion of charitable objectives and apply profits or income for promoting such objectives.
• Objectives: Section 8 Companies are suitable for organisations with a more corporate structure, and they often engage in activities related to education, science, research, social welfare, etc.
• Registration: NGOs receiving foreign contributions must register under FCRA. This registration is mandatory for receiving funds from foreign sources.
• Compliance: FCRA regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions and establishes a framework for the transparent and accountable use of such funds.
• NGOs are eligible for income tax exemptions under Section 12A and Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• Section 12A provides exemptions regarding income applied to charitable or religious purposes.
• Section 80G allows donors to claim deductions on contributions made to eligible NGOs.
• NGOs engaged in providing taxable goods and services are required to comply with GST regulations.
• Certain services provided by NGOs, especially those related to healthcare and education, may be exempted or eligible for concessional rates.
• Depending on the nature of activities, NGOs may need to register under specific laws. For example, educational institutions run by NGOs may require recognition under education laws.

Data / Statistics

• NITI Aayog’s Darpan portal indicates over 1.75 lakh registered NGOs, with estimates suggesting the number could be as high as 3 million.
• Annual Budget Range: The top 200 NGOs in India operate within an annual budget range of ₹10 crore to ₹800 crore.
• Annual Funding Raised: Collectively, these NGOs secure about ₹8,000-9,000 crore in funding annually, with sources split nearly equally between domestic and foreign funding.
• Global Affiliation: Approximately 18% of the surveyed NGOs have a global origin or affiliation, receiving 30% of the total funding.
• Financial Volatility: Finances within the sector are volatile, with almost 20% of NGOs experiencing an income change of over 50% in 2021-22.
• Income Surplus Range: At an aggregate level, non-profits have a year-end income surplus ranging from 4% to 7% of the total money raised each year.

Success Stories of NGO's in India

Pratham Education Foundation:

• Focus: Education
• Success Story: Pratham, founded in 1994, has been instrumental in improving the quality of education in India. Its “Read India” campaign, aimed at improving literacy among children, has been widely successful. Pratham’s innovative teaching methods and community involvement have positively impacted millions of children across the country.
• Focus: Rural Development, Disaster Relief
• Success Story: Goonj, founded in 1999, addresses issues of rural development and disaster relief. Its “Cloth for Work” initiative encourages communities to participate in development activities in exchange for essential items. Goonj’s approach ensures the dignity of the recipients and has gained recognition for its effective and sustainable model.

Akshaya Patra Foundation:

• Focus: Hunger and Education
• Success Story: Akshaya Patra is known for its mid-day meal program, providing nutritious meals to school children. By leveraging technology and innovative logistics, the foundation ensures that children receive hot, nutritious meals daily. This initiative has not only increased school attendance but has also positively impacted children’s health and nutrition.

Sulabh International:

• Focus: Sanitation and Social Reform
• Success Story: Sulabh International, founded by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, has been a pioneer in promoting sanitation and hygiene. The introduction of low-cost and eco-friendly toilets, along with efforts to eradicate the practice of manual scavenging, has transformed the lives of many in rural and urban areas.

SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association):

• Focus: Women’s Empowerment, Labor Rights
• Success Story: SEWA, a trade union for self-employed women, has played a crucial role in empowering women in the informal sector. By providing support in areas such as finance, skill development, and healthcare, SEWA has enabled women to improve their economic and social status.

Pradan (Professional Assistance for Development Action):

• Focus: Rural Development, Livelihood
• Success Story: Pradan works towards promoting sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. Through its interventions in agriculture, watershed management, and women’s empowerment, Pradan has successfully contributed to improving the economic conditions of numerous villages.

CRY (Child Rights and You):

• Focus: Child Rights
• Success Story: CRY has been working relentlessly to ensure the rights of children in India. Its advocacy, campaigns, and on-ground initiatives have led to positive changes in policies related to child rights. CRY’s efforts have contributed to increased awareness and action for the welfare of children.

Government Schemes Supporting NGOs in India

• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:
• Objective: Make India clean and open defecation-free.
• Financial Assistance: Provided to NGOs working on building toilets, promoting sanitation, and creating awareness about cleanliness.
• Opportunity: NGOs contribute to the Swachh Bharat mission for a cleaner India.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao:
• Objective: Address the declining child sex ratio, promote education, and empower the girl child.
• Financial Assistance: Provided to NGOs for supporting education, healthcare, and other services for the girl child and their families.
• Focus: NGOs play a crucial role in ensuring the well-being and empowerment of the girl child.
• National Rural Livelihood Mission:
• Objective: Provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the rural poor.
• Financial Assistance: Provided to NGOs for poverty alleviation, employment generation, and women empowerment in rural areas.
• Utilisation: NGOs can use funds for income-generating activities, skill development, and forming self-help groups.
• National Health Mission:
• Objective: Improve health infrastructure and services in rural and urban areas.
• Financial Assistance: Provided to NGOs working on healthcare services, health camps, and awareness programs.
• Impact: NGOs contribute to enhancing the health and well-being of communities in their respective areas.
• National Skill Development Mission:
• Objective: Provide skill development training to the youth of India.
• Financial Assistance: Provided to NGOs for skill development, entrepreneurship, and employment generation.
• Implementation: NGOs play a vital role in offering vocational training, creating self-employment opportunities, and promoting entrepreneurship among the youth.

Previous Year Questions on NGO's

Q. How can the role of NGOs be strengthened in India for development works relating to protection of the environment? Discuss throwing light on the major constraints. 12.5M (2015)

Q. Examine critically the recent changes in the rules governing foreign funding of NGOs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976   12.5M (2015)

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Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) In India: Opportunities And Challenges

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Make Your Note

Role of NGOs

• 25 Sep 2020
• GS Paper - 3
• Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
• Government Policies & Interventions

This article is based on “The G in NGO” which was published in The Indian Express on 24/09/2020. It talks about the impact of new regulation under Foregin Currency Regulation Act, 2010 on the NGOs and the role NGOs play in the Indian democracy.

Recently, the parliament has proposed some amendments to the Foregin Currency Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010. According to the government, these amendments aim to bring about transparency in the working of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). However, these new regulations put onerous conditions on NGOs, educational and research institutions that have partnerships, including of a financial nature, with foreign entities.

Thus, many civil society groups question these amendments, especially at a time when the country requires robust civil society organisations and networks to deal with a range of challenges including the detrimental effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thus, given the role of NGOs in the development sector of India, there is a need to balance between autonomy of NGOs and Government’s imperative to put a check on NGOs that are engaged in illegal activities.

Major Amendments in the Law

• There is now a capping of the administrative expenses of NGOs at 20% of their foreign donations.
• The new amendment requires them to have a State Bank of India account at a Delhi Branch.
• It also prohibits the transfer of grants received under FCRA to any other outfit.
• It also gives sweeping powers to the Ministry of Home Affairs to cancel the FCRA certificate of an NGO.

Concerns Emanating From These Amendments

• This would undermine the flow of foriegn funding and development aid.
• Apart from this, the proposed changes are not in sync with the ideals of environmentalism, human rights and civil liberties as these sectors receive most of the foreign contributions. These ideals are important pillars of India’s soft power.
• Due to these issues, the International Commission of Jurists has said the new law was incompatible with international obligations and India’s own constitutional provisions on rights.

Role of NGOs in Indian Democracy

India has nearly 3.4 million non-governmental organisations (NGOs), working in a variety of fields ranging from disaster relief to advocacy for marginalised and disadvantaged communities. There the role and responsibilities are immense in developing country like India, which can listed as follows:

• Also, they are engaged in diverse activities, relating to human and labour rights, gender issues, healthcare, environment, education, legal aid, and even research.
• In the past, such grass roots organisations have been enabled by collaborations with bigger NGOs and research agencies that have access to foreign funding.
• To the extent such NGOs are able to educate the public and put pressure on public policy, they act as important pressure groups in a democracy.
• They also mobilize and organize the poor to demand quality service and impose a community system to accountability on the performance of grassroots government functionaries.
• Role in Participative Governance: Many civil society initiatives have contributed to some of the path-breaking laws in the country, including the Environmental Protection Act-1986, Right to Education Act-2009 , Forests Rights Act-2006 and Right to Information Act-2005.
• In Indian context wherein people are still steeped in superstition, faith, belief and custom, NGOs act as catalysts and create awareness among people.

Issues Emanating From NGOs

• Under the garb of being an NGO, these NGOs often mint money from donors and are also involved in money laundering activities.
• There is nearly one NGO for every 400 people in India. However, not every NGO out there is engaged in serious social welfare work. Many are fraudulent and many are there without much serious intent.
• Further the allegations of corruption against NGOs be ignored. In the past many NGOs were blacklisted after being found to have indulged in misappropriation of funds.
• Undermining Development Activities: A report by India’s Intelligence Bureau accused NGOs such as Greenpeace, Cordaid, Amnesty, and Action Aid for reducing India’s GDP by 2-3% per year.

It is important for NGOs to achieve and maintain a high degree of transparency in not just their work but also their financials. NGOs need to keep their income and expenditure open to public scrutiny. However, credibility of an NGO cannot be decided against the touchstone of the source of funds, native or foreign.

Also, the government must realise that seamless sharing of ideas and resources across national boundaries is essential to the functioning of a global community, and it should not be discouraged unless there is reason to believe the funds are being used to aid illegal activities.

This editorials is based on “A light touch: On regulation of digital media” which was published in The Hindu on September 24 th , 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.

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NGOs and Development: History and Role in India

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NGOs are voluntary organization s (VOs). These are popularly known as NGOs because they are free from governmental control in their functioning. They are democratic and open to all those wishing to become member of the organization voluntarily and serve the society.

Therefore, they have assumed a significant space in civil society, which is fast emerging today due to the weakening of the state. NGO is a popular term, which has gained currency at global level and commands respect in society due to its welfare services in society. The organization does seek financial assistance from the government but it operates, at least theoretically, on its own principles and programmes  (Punalekar, 2004).

VOs are, in principle, open to voluntary membership. Any one may become member by choice and resign from the organi­zation at one’s own will. However, Edwin Masihi writes that “it is wrong to label such organizations as free-for-all in that anyone who seeks admission gets it on demand.

On the contrary, these organizations have their own rule of eligibility for admission and only those who meet these eligibility norms are accepted as members, albeit with the approval of the existing members. In that sense, these organizations are voluntary in relative terms only” (Masihi, 2004).

History of NGOs in India:

NGO have a long history in India. In the past, people in this country have been found to have provided help to others in trouble. Since centuries there exists the tradition of voluntary service to the needy and helpless in the country. In the beginning, these services were rendered by people motivated by their religious feelings.

They believed that service to people would be the service to God and, therefore, would be a means to attain spiritual salvation and sometimes to atonement for any sinful act. Spirit of charity and altruism guided the voluntary action in the past, which had found expression in diverse forms even outside the formal established religious channels ( Punalekar, 2004: 33). Many people including rulers have trod the path of service to their fellow beings and adopted it as their life mission (ibid.).

Floods, fires, earthquakes, epidemic outbreaks and other kinds of calamities were the occasions which motivated people to voluntary help those who were trapped in disastrous situa­tions. Community life was very strong and people were guided by the ‘we’ feeling and selflessness in extending their individual support.

The help and support used to be individual, sponta­neous and transitory. It is around the late 18th and early 19th century that associations and organizations were being formed to render such activities in a more organized and permanent profile (ibid.).

The reform movements of the 19th century were perhaps the first organized forms of voluntary action in the service of society. This was the period when the caste rigidities were strong, untouchability was in practice, and other social evils like child marriage, cursed status of widow’s were prevalent in the Indian society against which voluntary organizations came forward to launch reform movements.

These organizations were liberal and cut across caste and creed lines and worked purely as a liberal and secular body. “In the early years of 20th century, the religious fervour gave way to more rationalist principles. The birth of the Servants of India Society laid the foundation of secular voluntary action in India”(ibid.).

Gandhiji was immensely concerned with the problems and evils the people were beset with. He, along with his war against the British rule, wanted to eliminate the social evils and awaken the people of India to come out of the closed shell of the evil traditions like untouchability, caste segregation, and subservience to the landholding castes and general backwardness.

In order to achieve these goals, several VOs were formed under the influence of the ideals of Gandhiji. A few of them are Sewa, Eklavya, Disha etc., which were instituted in Gujarat and some others might have been formed in other states also.

A significant growth of NGOs started after India achieved independence. Democracy was established and people had started understanding the meaning of freedom of speech, the charm of equality and the value of humanity and brotherhood. Also, on the other hand, the government started planning for development and in this effort, launched inter alia the schemes of Community Development Programme and later on the Green Revolution.

Over one million NGOs are pursuing their economi­cally gainful activities. The achievements of the schemes were assessed were found to be unsuccessful in providing for the minimum necessary requirements and reducing the gap between the rich and the poor in rural areas, instead rather increasing it.

With independence also accelerated the processes of indus­trialization, urbanization, expansion of education, politicization and democratization and modernization. These processes awakened people to be sensitive to the existing inequalities like economic inequalities (landed inequality in particular), gender inequality, inhuman kind of social segregations like caste inequalities and untouchability, other social evils like child marriage, child labour, restriction on widow marriage and many other stigmas and taboos.

Industrialization and urbanization led to the emergence of the problems of rural-urban migration causing imbalance in the rural division of labour, over-urbanization of many cities with the expansion of slum and pavement dwellers, urban unemployment, pollution and depletion of natural resources.

Consumerism and over-consumption are yet other serious problems of the present nature of development. Most of the cities of the world in general, and those of the less developed countries in particular, have the grievous problem of garbage disposal.

Thus, there are hundreds of problems which have emerged and sensitized the citizens to organize themselves to work for their solution either by their own personal contribution or by pressurizing the government to solve the problem. Thousands of NGOs have thus emerged in India making significant contribu­tions to the processes of development of society.

“These NGOs believe in the tasks of mobilizing and conscentization of the masses or their specific target groups – be they women, children, agricultural labourers, construction workers or the social castaways like widows, devdasis or under trial prisoners. They believe sincerely in educating the people and preparing them for ongoing struggle. They believe in social awakening including legal literacy and confidence-building” (Punalekar, 2004: 41).

NGOs have gained importance now and are increasing in number very fast. Enhancement of their importance is the result of weakening of the role of state in upholding the welfare and well-being of its citizens and consequent development of the assertive role of civil society to ascertain social welfare and integration. More than half a million voluntary organizations would perhaps be working in the country.

Role of NGOs in Development:

NGOs have immense role in bringing about social change and development and it is being experienced from different parts of the country. Development, as we have read earlier, is a multi- faceted process, which essentially involves the aggressive participation of the people that would not be possible unless they are educated, awakened and motivated. NGOs are taking up this job sportingly and successfully.

The areas in which we witness active and appreciative role of NGOs are as follows:

1. The NGOs are active to promote education, particularly among that section of population, which has remained un-benefited or less benefited by the measures adopted by the government. The education of girls, and other deprived people, particularly the SCs and STs, has been their target objective.

2. Women are the other vulnerable section of society. Gender discrimination is a ubiquitous cultural reality. Girls are discriminated in the upbringing pattern in the family. Larger numbers of the undernourished are from amongst the girls. Retention of girls in schools is much less as compared to boys. Women are forced to work as housewife and denied participation in gainful economic activities outside homes. About three-fourths of the work done by women is un-monetized.

3. Since the second half of the preceding century started the change in the status of women with their active partici­pation in political, social and economic activities, which gained acceleration since the last quarter of the preceding century. More and more women started moving out of the four walls of their houses and involving themselves actively in the social sphere outside their homes.

Important in this process has been the role of academicians and NGOs. The book Women’s Role in Economic Development by Easter Boserup (1970) is the pioneering work in this direction. After a gap of few years, by 1978, a large number of works were published, particularly on the status of women in the Third World – where their position has been more vulnerable.

The role of women voluntary organizations towards this cause has been marvelous. Sewa, Sathin, Eklavya, Disha, Environmental Action Group and Agrani Foundation etc. are some of the thousands of NGOs known for their role in development by creating awareness among people and interventions, if required.

4. The approach to development has been almost uniform world over at least in terms of the use of technology, magnitude of production, pattern of consumption and achievement of wealth. Both state and people were unaware or lackadaisical about the backwash of the nature of devel­opment pursued.

The threat to the human life developed due to environmental pollution and imbalance and the depletion of natural resources as a consequence of the nature of devel­opment. Here, the role of NGOs is really noticeable and praiseworthy. Thousands of voluntary organizations are at work to awaken people and governments against environ­mental degradation and depletion of resources.

5. It is not that the development process has unleashed only environmental threats to the human existence but also many people are displaced due to developmental projects and are quite often not properly compensated and rehabili­tated.

The NGOs have a major role to play towards the cause of people’s resettlement and are also performing commendable job in this direction. The projects like the construction of dams, road highways and railways have often made some sections of people, particularly in rural areas, vulnerable and are displaced without being properly compensated.

6. NGOs are also rendering great service in restoring dignity to the deprived and discriminated sections of the people in the society like women suffering from gender discrimination, lower caste people suffering from caste segregation and the status of untouchable, racial and religious discriminations.

Voluntary organizations, working at both national and international levels, have earned praise for their services in societal development. These organizations are busy in creating awareness and zeal for participation in development projects.

Ensuring humanism by fighting against human rights violations, social exclusions, domestic violence and others have been common objectives of the NGOs. Of late, these organizations are also entering the sector of economic well-being and standard of living. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, Agrani Foundation’s Jan Suraksha Kranti (JSK) scheme of savings and life insurance is indeed a commendable effort in this direction.

Related Articles:

• Economic and Social Development : Myrdal’s Views on Development of India
• Role of NGOs in Developing Rural Entrepreneurship in India

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Dealing with the Pandemic: Contribution of NGOs

At the time of writing, the world is facing a pandemic from Covid-19 that was first discovered in November 2019 in the city of Wuhan in China. By March 2020, many of the world’s governments announced lockdowns to curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which caused Covid-19. As of 20 June 2021, over 176 million people around the world have been affected by the virus, and over thirty-seven lakh lives lost – even after sound medical care in many cases. India experienced a ‘second wave’, despite a robust vaccination program, in April 2021 when it reported over one lakh cases a day. With its vast population, the country has, in the second wave, both the maximum number of new cases and deaths. Although the number of new cases by end June have drastically reduced, the pandemic is far from over.

As demonstrated by this pandemic, the question is not “if” a country will be affected but rather “when”. It is believed that developing countries are more vulnerable and that pandemics strike hardest at the most marginalised, the poorest and the most vulnerable groups as they lack the awareness and preparedness to deal with a pandemic.

This article explores the contribution of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) during the pandemic in India. In order to do so, the article first discusses the role of NGOs in pandemic preparedness and then gives examples of contributions of various NGOs in India.

The Role of NGOs in Pandemic Preparedness

With increases in population and skewed concentration of people in urban areas, it is argued that NGOs “have the opportunity and the responsibility to play a major role in preparedness, response, impact mitigation and advocacy to lessen the consequences” [i] of a pandemic, particularly amongst the poor and vulnerable groups. NGOs have the required presence, skill and experience to be able to contribute during pandemic planning and response. In particular, scholars believe that NGOs can contribute most in areas of health, economic aid, education and community-based surveillance.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued ten ‘Guiding Principles for International Outbreak Alert and Response’ in 2009, that state how nations must respond to outbreaks of international importance, including pandemics, and how to coordinate efforts between parties on field. Of importance is guiding principle number seven that outlines the role of NGOs. It states, “There is recognition of the unique role of national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the area of health, including in the control of outbreaks. NGOs providing support that would not otherwise be available, particularly in reaching poor populations” [ii] .

The scientific community agrees on four ways to reduce the effects and spread of any pandemic—vaccination, antiviral drug use, medical care and public health systems. Here, NGOs can contribute on-ground towards both prevention and preparedness through information dissemination, education, and community-based health care drives. On a policy level, they can inform decisions through surveillance, and by identifying and reporting potential ‘hotspots’ such as slums, high density residential colonies, or poorly ventilated areas. They can also bridge the gap between governments and international bodies such as the WHO that typically monitor pandemics. More importantly, they can bridge the gap between governments and citizens and are better placed to identify the needs of a community, including those that are hard to reach. Finally, NGOs can employ their networks, to share and amplify information.

In the very first week of lockdown in March 2020 in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on NGOs to help the government in dealing with the pandemic [iii] . He urged them to provide basic necessities to the underprivileged such as medical and protective gear and more importantly to spread information on awareness campaigns such as washing hands, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. The NITI Aayog too, reached out to over 92,000 NGOs during the first few months of the onset of the pandemic to “boost cross-sectoral collaboration” [iv] and exploit NGOs network to ensure effective distribution of essentials. More importantly, they needed help in spreading awareness among the rural population to educate them on Covid-19, on techniques to identify the virus, the precautionary measures that should be taken and when to seek medical care.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many NGOs used social network platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to share and amplify information regarding vaccination centres, vaccine availability, vaccine safety, and to help individuals in need of oxygen, blood or a hospital bed. NGOs also used their network to bring doctors together on online platforms, to provide free medical advice to those affected by Covid-19.

Examples of contribution of NGOs in India

Over 90,000 NGOs were contacted by NITI Aayog to help the government in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Every NGOs contribution is significant, no matter how big or small. It is beyond the scope of this paper to examine the contribution of every NGO. Therefore, it looks at a select few as examples of the role of NGOs and their contribution during the pandemic, through activities such as distribution of food and essential supplies, blood donation and plasma donation drives, support groups and raising awareness.

Rashtriya Sewa Bharati

The Rashtriya Sewa Bharati conducted several large scale, nationwide activities to support communities during Covid-19. The organisation was inspired by the acts of humanity by social reformers such as Swami Vivekananda, and under different state units, carried out Covid-19 relief efforts [v] . It mobilised over half a million volunteers and served at 92,656 towns across India [vi] . Among its various activities, it distributed food and food supplies to over seven million families, and food packets to 45 million people [vii] . This is perhaps the largest outreach programme conducted during a pandemic in India. Apart from food, the volunteers also distributed over nine million masks and donated more than 60,000 units of blood. The volunteers even helped over 44 lakh migrant workers, an oft forgotten, under represented and vulnerable group, since the first lockdown in India in March 2020. These migrants come from across the country and many were stranded or left with few opportunities to return to their hometowns. The Rashtriya Sewa Bharati set up over 400 medical centres across the country for migrants. In addition, they created over 900 help centres at bus stations and railways stations in India to help the migrants return to their hometowns. They also actively helped to secure jobs for the migrant workers once lockdown was lifted [viii] .

Another activity that was conducted under Covid-19 relief was the restoration of old and unused hospitals into Covid-19 centres. One such example is the Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML) hospital in Kolar, Karnataka that was unused for nearly twenty years [ix] . A group of 300 volunteers from the organisation came together to restore the hospital and cleared it of weeds, debris and cobwebs. Within two weeks, a 300-bed hospital was set up, equipped with oxygen facility [x] . The organisation also formed a ‘Covid Response Team’ (CRT) dedicated towards aid and relief during the pandemic. The CRT created a helpline along with volunteers and over hundred doctors. In just over a month, the helpline had received 88,000 calls [xi] . The organisation also conducted health camps across Chennai, Bengaluru, Gorakhpur and Pune, among other cities as mentioned in Akhil Bharatiya Annual Report [xii] . The organisation was able to modify its programmes to suit the needs of the pandemic. For instance, in 2020, the focus was on helping migrant workers by providing them with food and safety, while in 2021 the focus shifted towards medical assistance—procuring oxygen, hospital beds, donating plasma, and conducting cremations.

The Hemkunt Foundation

Another NGO, the Hemkunt Foundation based in New Delhi, provided over 360 tons of meals to migrant workers. The NGO grew to international recognition during the second Covid-19 wave for its efforts in organising oxygen, medicines and hospital beds for those in need [xiii] . The organisation is based in New Delhi, which was badly affected during the second wave of the pandemic. The NGO, working out of makeshift camps in Gurgaon, provided oxygen through cars. They also created a facility with 700 medical beds, a fleet of ambulances, and distributed food to families affected by the virus. At the peak of the second wave, the Foundation even provided oxygen to hospitals in need, and launched a “drive through” oxygen initiative to provide oxygen to patients inside their cars [xiv] . The Foundation operates through over 100 volunteers and has 5,000 donors globally, a lot of whom donated through various social media campaigns. The money raised was used toward Covid-19 relief.

Child Rights and You (CRY) is another NGO that did extensive work during the pandemic. Founded in 1979 in Delhi, the NGO focuses its attention on an oft neglected group—young children. The organisation partners with other local NGOs to provide its services, ranging from basic health and hygiene kits for children to cooked meals every day. They paid particular focus to abandoned children and those that were left as orphans due to the deadly pandemic. To raise awareness about Covid-19 they conducted home visits for those without a phone, maintaining all social distancing protocols, and released campaigns through phone calls and WhatsApp including videos on how to wash hands. These campaigns revolved around public health and hygiene and behaviour change, sanitisation, and the proper use of face masks. Since the closure of government schools, and consequently the mid-day meal programme, many children were unable to get proper nutrition and timely immunisation. The organisation raised money to feed children, and also created programmes that focused on the psychological well-being of children, particularly for those who had not attended school due to the pandemic. In 2020-21, CRY was able to impact over six lakh children through their various programmes [xv] . By focusing their attention on vulnerable children, the organisation helped ensure that the pandemic does not leave a trail of child rights crisis in the long term.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), founded in 1966 in New York has grown in presence across the world. Through their network of temples and rural communities, hundreds of affiliated vegetarian restaurants, and thousands of local meeting groups, they were able to carry out impressive work during the pandemic. During the on-going ‘second wave’ of the pandemic in India, ISKCON set up a fully functional, free facility with 200 beds, ten doctors and 18 nurses at Dwarka, New Delhi. The temporary facility included an ICU and ventilator facility, and patients were given nutritious meals. Apart from the hospital facility, ISKCON was already engaged in delivering free, safe and hygienic food to COVID patients at their doorstep under the ‘ISKCON Food Relief Initiative’. During the pandemic, 140 million plates of food were served through 77 kitchens spread across the country—perhaps one of the biggest such initiatives in the country. These meals were served to those stranded without support at home, to those forced to maintain social distancing within their homes, to entire families affected by coronavirus, to daily wage workers, low-income families and migrant workers. The vision of ISKCON during the pandemic was that “no one within a 10-mile radius of its centre should go hungry, which is even truer in today’s context” [xvi] . Food insecurity is an even bigger issue during a pandemic, particularly for those who cannot afford to ‘stock pile’. To address this challenge, on every day of the pandemic, hundreds of monks and volunteers prepared fresh food and delivered it to to the doorsteps of those in need, apart from setting up temporary food camps across cities in India. By partnering with government agencies, ISKCON was able to identify areas that were most in need of such food camps.

Green Dream Foundation

The Green Dream Foundation, a smaller NGO in size than others on this list, mainly deals with environmental issues but tweaked their programmes to help during the pandemic. At the onset of the pandemic, the Foundation, along with a few IIT graduates, started COVID SOS, a platform to help senior citizens and physically challenged people. Using WhatsApp and GPS technology they could find volunteers within walking distance of the person in need. Volunteers performed errands for those who could not leave their homes and also supplied emergency services and equipment and essentials. The platform has over a thousand volunteers across 10 cities.

Some NGOs work in focus areas or limited locations and are not spread across the country. These NGOs are better suited to serve the needs of the communities they work with. One such NGO is The Enrich Lives Foundation, formerly known as The Annapurna Movement. It works in and around Mumbai, Maharashtra, with a special focus on its slums. The NGO, founded during the first wave of Covid-19 in March 2020, works with the express aim of aiding those in need affected by the pandemic. They put special focus on women, nutrition and public health. The Enrich Lives Foundation distributed food grains and grocery (ration) kits, and also helped those who lost work due to the pandemic to regain employment. The ration kits included wheat, rice, oil and pulses. During the pandemic they distributed over 10 lakh meals, over 30,000 ration kits, and Covid-19 relief material such as masks and sanitisers, worth rupees five crore. They raised funds mainly through online platforms like Ketto and Give India.

Not strictly started as NGOs but worth a mention is the contribution of some individuals with tremendous social media influence who have helped in Covid-19 relief either directly or by channelling funds through NGOs or by amplifying messages and the work of various NGOs. One such person is Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, who is considered by many to be at the forefront of charity work during the pandemic. He was instrumental in setting up oxygen plants in places like Kurnool and Nellore, both in Andhra Pradesh, that catered to government hospitals. His team also distributed over 700 oxygen concentrators to patients undergoing Covid-19 home treatment, and also created a shot video to raise awareness on India’s vaccination programme. Today, he channels his Covid-19 relief efforts through his newly created Sood Foundation.

The importance of NGOs cannot be underestimated for five main reasons. First, they intimately understand community needs and are better placed to help during a pandemic. NGOs work with a range of vulnerable populations, possess a deep understanding of their needs, have rapports with the communities for years and are more suited to be the first point of contact and help during a pandemic. Second, NGOs have the ability to adapt to pandemic constraints, enabling them to continue supporting vulnerable populations. They can also tweak their existing programmes to suit the needs of the pandemic and to suit the community context. Third, NGOs play a pivotal role in raising awareness and educating the public about Covid-19 as they can use the networks of trust they have built, within the communities they work with. They can do this through effective on-ground programmes, text messages, WhatsApp and social networks. This is particularly useful in raising awareness of the importance of vaccinations. Four, NGOs can customise their outreach programmes to suit the needs of the local communities they serve. This puts NGOs in a unique position unlike government programmes that have a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Five, NGOs can step in when governments cannot, and can provide services that governments do not. In the case of Covid-19 and the present pandemic, masks, soap, water and sanitisers are essentials. Most of these ‘essentials’ are unaffordable to many sections of the population. Although the government advisories require wearing of masks, how many are in a position to afford them? In cases like this NGOs can step in to distribute masks for free to those who cannot afford them. The above examples throw light on how NGOs have done this. Finally, the biggest constraint that any NGO faces is in raising money to carry out their activities. Here, the public and donations from large organisations come handy. During this pandemic, we witnessed large and genuine outreach programmes to raise money for Covid-19 relief that NGOs of all scales and sizes, were able to channel towards relief programmes.

Author Brief Bio: Shreya has completed her masters in development from the Institute of Development Studies, UK. She has previously been associated with ORF and is currently a Senior Research Fellow at India Foundation.

[i] Mahmood, Jemilah (2009). ‘The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Pandemic Prepardness’ S Rajaratnam School of International Studies https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep05905.21.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_search_gsv2%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3A49565b3320e90dd6690f94bc7c00cf83

[ii] Giorgetti, Chiara (2010). The Principled Approach to State Failure: International Community Actions in Emergency Situations. Page 95, accessed via Google Books.

[iii] Indian Express 2020. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/crime/coronavirus-india-lockdown-help-govt-serve-poor-pm-modi-to-ngos-6339236/

[iv] Times of India 2020. https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/governance/civil-society-the-third-pillar-of-strength-in-fight-against-coronavirus/75642349

[v] https://www.rashtriyasewabharati.org/

[vi] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rss-annual-report-reflects-a-year-of-pandemic-related-service-across-india-301253050.html

[viii] https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rss-in-the-time-of-covid-from-plasma-donation-to-conducting-last-rites-6548122/

[ix] https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/how-the-rss-s-covid-relief-campaign-is-helping-thousands-1805971-2021-05-23

[xi] https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/how-the-rss-s-covid-relief-campaign-is-helping-thousands-1805971-2021-05-23

[xii] https://www.rss.org/Akhil%20Bharatiya%20%20Annual%20Report%202021%20English.pdf

[xiii] https://qz.com/india/2008877/how-hemkunt-foundation-helped-10000-indians-during-oxygen-crisis/

[xiv] https://qz.com/india/2008877/how-hemkunt-foundation-helped-10000-indians-during-oxygen-crisis/

[xv] https://www.cry.org/protect-children-in-covid-world-resilience-recovery/

[xvi] http://iskconfoodrelief.com/

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16. Governance and Effectiveness of NGOs – The Way Ahead

Home » Publications » 16. Governance and Effectiveness of NGOs – The Way Ahead

Governance and Effectiveness of NGOs – The Way Ahead

January 2019,           madhukar kotwal                                 vinayk kelkar,              rajendar erande                                 sidhar jayraman, acknowledgements.

We would like to thank the following people for their time and inputs –

• Alok Kshirsagar • Prof. Kalyan Chakravarti                                            • Mr. Raosaheb Badhe
• Ashok Budhkar • Dr. Kiran Kulkarni                                                        • Ms. Rupam Nangia
• Ashok Kotwal • Mr. Luis Miranda                                                             • Mr. S. D. Pradhan
• Bharati Kotwal • Mr. Nitin Pawar                                                              • Adv. S. Y. Padhye
• Bina Joshi • Prof. P. Shahjahan                                                                  • Mr. Satish Khadye
• Bino Paul • Ms. Parinita Kanitkar                                                              • Ms. Shilpa Khangaonkar
• Bishnupriya Chakravarti • Prof. Pradeep Apte                                        • Dr. Sumita Kale
• Gauri Noolkar-Oak • Mr. Pradeep Lokhande                                          • Mr. Suresh Dixit
• Girish Kulkarni • Mr. Prakash Apte                                                           • Prof. Swati Banerjee
• Girish Sohani • Mr. Prashant Girbane                                                       • Ms. Usha Pillai
• Hitendra Singh • Mr. Prashant Kothadiya                                                • Mr. V. Rajagopalan
• Jaideep Gaikwad • Ms. Pratima Kirloskar                                                • Mr. Vivek Atre
• Jayant Shaligram • Dr. Rajeshree Joshi

Our special thanks to the Charity Commissioner of Maharashtra Mr. Shivkumar Dige for his greatly valuable inputs to the PIC Team.

We are especially thankful to Mr. S. Balasubramoniam for his valuable inputs to the Model Assessment Tool, and to Ms. Namita Joshi for compiling this paper. We are also thankful to Ms Manasi Apte for editing this policy paper.

We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Vikas Deshmukh who had strategized and kicked off the initial work on this report before handing over charge of the Working Group to Mr. Madhukar Kotwal.

Lastly, we are immensely grateful to Dr. Vijay Kelkar, under whose guidance and encouragement the group has been able to put this report together.

Executive Summary

The NGO sector in India has grown exponentially in the last decade – there is one NGO for every 400 persons in India – but it has received relatively less attention in terms of governance. India ranks low on the Human Development Index as well as the Global Hunger Index; this underlines the need to review and reform India’s NGO sector in terms of efficiency and governance. India is currently home to 3.3 million registered NGOs, of which 25% cater to religious interests and activities, while about 40% are engaged in social service and educational activities. While many of the NGOs are highly motivated and actively pursue genuine causes, the same cannot be said for the rest of them.

NGOs in India can be classified as Operational, Policy Research and/or Advocacy, and Hybrid NGOs. Some NGOs have been making remarkable contributions to development at the grassroots level, providing cultural support, implementing many government schemes and utilising individual, government, corporate and foreign funds in a productive manner. However, key issues such as accountability, transparency, trustworthiness, organisational and financial efficiency, scalability and overall governance feature prominently in any analysis of the NGO sector.

With the objective of addressing these issues, PIC has been holding discussions with different expert and stakeholder groups. Through these deliberations, PIC observed that the Central Government and a few State Governments have taken several regulatory and legislative steps to ensure compliance and accountability. However, without simultaneous improvement in governance and efficiency of NGOs, these measures will not be able to sufficiently reform the NGO sector.

Based on PIC’s research and valuable insights provided by several experienced individuals and institutions, this policy paper is an attempt to analyse the challenges faced by stakeholders in the NGO sector and to make some concrete actionable recommendations for improving NGO governance and their effectiveness.

The major governance issues faced by the NGO sector include a lack of formal management/ leadership structure, training and capacity building at the middle and lower levels. Absence of formal and systematic processes for planning, documentation, performance assessment and quality control further increase governance challenges and ultimately impact overall performance and credibility of the NGO sector.

Following are the actions recommended to tackle the abovementioned issues –

A.   reforms at the leadership level:.

The trustees of an NGO are responsible for improving its credibility and governance standards. They should carry out this duty through well-defined, transparent and fair processes. Accordingly, some formal guidelines for trustees have been suggested.

b.   Establishment of indian council for Social Development (icSD):

A central-level Apex Nodal Agency should be established to create a common and open platform to facilitate better knowledge sharing across the country and to help NGOs in continually improving their governance & effectiveness. The ICSD should maintain a national database of registered NGOs, periodically share information on legal compliance requirements, government policies and schemes. It should select and authorize a suitable number of agencies to carry out social impact assessment and accredit NGOs. It should organize conferences and events on a national level to facilitate inter-state exchange of knowledge and information and encourage meaningful collaboration among NGOs. The primary focus of ICSD will be facilitation and information sharing, and not regulation or control.

c.  assessment and accreditation of NGOs:

To help increase the efficiency and accountability of NGOs, a formal assessment and accreditation process is crucial. A Model Assessment Tool (included in the paper), which considers both the size as well as level of excellence in governance of the NGO, is proposed for use first by NGOs themselves to carry out self-evaluation, and subsequently for external assessment to be carried out by an ICSD-approved agency. The NGO would be accredited by ICSD as per the results of the assessment carried out by the external agency. These results, over time, would be used as a qualifying parameter for NGOs to receive government and/or corporate support.

d.   Stimulus for Better Governance:

NGOs, especially the smaller ones, should be given suitable incentives to encourage them to go through a formal assessment process by using approved tools and through approved agencies.

These actions can substantially reform the NGO sector and accelerate sustainable socio-economic development in India. A stable, progressive and efficient development sector can go a long way in achieving the ambitious goals India has set for itself.

Governance and Effectiveness of NGOs The Way Ahead

Introduction

NGOs form the bedrock of organized social development in many countries. They play a vital role in converting policy directions and financial resources into tangible development on the ground. In India, although the NGO sector has grown exponentially in the last decade, governance issues related to the sector have received very little attention, unlike, say, in the case of Corporate Governance. Virtually left to itself, while the sector has seen phenomenal growth in numbers – an NGO for every 400 persons, the social impact created has not been commensurate with the number of NGOs and the resources available with them.

The NGO sector has the potential to reach out in depth to many areas where governments face difficulties. There are several examples of dedicated NGOs which have been carrying out commendable work in the fields of education, health, conservation of natural resources, environmental and wild life protection, heritage, and culture. However, what is worrisome is those NGOs which exploit their position to extract financial benefits while serving questionable interests. As a result of such elements, the positive contributions of the NGO sector as a whole have not received their due recognition.

The emerging opportunities for growth in our country need to be addressed keeping in view the rapidly changing aspirations of our young population increasingly exposed to the developed world through better education and communication. Simultaneously, the increasing gap between the standard of living of the under-privileged and affluent sections of society needs to be narrowed expeditiously. NGOs have a major role to play in this area.

Keeping in view the above factors, Pune International Centre (PIC) embarked on an endeavour to propose a set of implementable recommendations which can have a positive impact on governance of NGOs.

While covering the activities of NGOs in general, for this report, it was decided to exclude NGOs operating for Political or Religious purposes.

Overview of the Social Development Landscape

The global scenario.

Every country works on human development in its own way through initiatives that are sometimes similar to the ones in other countries and sometimes completely different, owing to the various socio-cultural and economic contexts.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Report 2016 1 , “Human development is all about human freedoms: freedom to realize the full potential of every human life, not just of a few, nor of most, but of all lives in every corner of the world— now and in the future.”

A few positive facts from the UNDP report reveal that “even though the global population increased by 2 billion – from 5.3 billion in 1990 to 7.3 billion in 2015, more than 1 billion people escaped extreme poverty (during this period), 2.1 billion gained access to improved sanitation and more than 2.6 billion gained access to an improved source of drinking water”.

However, there were also some stark realities that still prevail, and which cannot be ignored. For instance:

• One person in nine in the world is hungry, and one in three is
• Worldwide 18,000 people a day die because of air
• HIV infects 2 million people a year.
• Every minute on an average, 24 people are displaced from their
• More than a billion people are estimated to live with some form of disability and are among the most marginalized in most
• One-third of the world’s food is wasted every Just one-fourth of the wasted food, if recovered, could feed 870 million people.
• The effects of deforestation and climate change are becoming increasingly
• Measures for Social Development It is necessary to investigate how human and social development is measured using established criteria, instruments and benchmarks.

As approved by the UN General Assembly on 25th September 2015, the group of nations has also accepted the following 17 ambitious but achievable goals for Sustainable Development as a part of the Agenda for 2030:

• End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• End hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Ensure healthy lives and provide well-being for all at all ages
• Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
• Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive, sustainable industrialization and foster
• Reduce inequality within and among countries
• Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
• Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
• Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse degradation and halt biodiversity loss
• Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
• Strengthen means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable

To achieve these Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is necessary to evolve guidelines for the distinct roles to be played by NGOs in the domains they cover. Meeting these SDGs can also be greatly facilitated global knowledge sharing, efficient capacity building and more successful management practices. Sharing of experiences quoted in the UN Global Compact Case Studies can help India in enhancing compliance with SDGs. It must be recognised however, that there are many NGOs which might be working in areas at the periphery of the SDGs, not following the mainstream discourse of social work but still be addressing needs defined by the social realities of the current times. Such NGOs should be encouraged to pursue causes which might not be immediately mapped to current SDG goals, but would still contribute to society.

While some NGOs have been major contributors to development processes, efforts need to be directed towards enhancing the contribution of the entire voluntary sector to make it more measurable and effective. Although measuring social up-gradation and contributions to the social sector are subjective, quantifying them would aid in monitoring the efficacy and reach of NGOs’ work. Use of SDGs and the National Industrial Classification (NIC-2008) is recommended to generally align NGOs’ actions with global goals.

The issue of measuring contribution can be partially resolved through the concept of Solidarity/ Social Economy. This is an evolving concept which seeks to increase the quality of life of a region or community through local business and not-for-profit endeavours. It measures the contribution of social sector to economic growth and development. This approach has gained traction and is under research and practice in European and Western countries but is yet to gain ground in India.

NGOs and their role

The term NGO – Non-Governmental Organization- was reportedly coined in 1945 as a part of the Charter for the United Nations Organization. An apt definition of an NGO in the Rai Technology University Report titled ‘Concepts and Functions of NGOs’ is as follows 2 :

“An NGO is defined as an independent voluntary association of people acting together on a continuous basis, for some common purpose, other than achieving government office, making money or (indulging in) illegal activities.”

The operational efficacy of NGOs lies at the intersection of technology, organizational structure, sector, financial feasibility and approval of impact group. Broadly speaking, NGOs comprise welfare organisations, service-deliverers and advocacy groups. However, a more detailed classification of NGOs will further clarify their roles. It will also help in identifying economic goals while at the same time addressing socio-cultural goals like education, health, environmental protection and human rights.

Over time, NGOs have mushroomed all over the world and have taken up work in various sectors for many different causes. A host of imaginative acronyms have emerged out of this development describing their scope. Some among them are:

INGO – International NGO BINGO – Big International NGO

QANGO – Quasi Autonomous NGO GONGO – Government-organized NGO MANGO – Market Advocacy NGO

PANGO – Party NGO (set up by Political Parties, disguised as NGOs)

It is no wonder that there are an estimated 10 Million NGOs registered world-wide 3 . Collectively if they had been a single country, they would rank as the 5th largest economy globally 4 !

Classification of NGOs is a rather difficult task given the wide spectrum of activities in which they are involved. A generally accepted broad categorization is given below

• Operational NGOs
• Policy research and/or Advocacy
• Hybrid NGOs – involved in both the above-mentioned

To capture the complexity of the NGOs, further sub-classification would be required. This is particularly important because the NGO sector is linked to global dynamics and operates in a rapidly evolving development space. A change in global dynamics leads to changes in the scope and roles of NGOs, needing more nuanced classification. For e.g. Amnesty International has evolved over the years in its scope and functioning since its inception. It started off as a fight against state persecution in the era of dictatorships, fallouts of the Cold War and ethnic tensions. Now it has evolved into a worldwide movement for protecting and recognizing human rights all over the world with focus on war crimes, future warfare, chemical weapons etc 5 .

There is a need to take into consideration the changing contextual environment 20-30 years from now and it is necessary to understand the engagement models and processes that will evolve between NGOs and their supporting agencies.In India, if a general classification is done based on the activities undertaken by NGOs, the following would appear reasonable, although the percentages shown might not be precisely valid today.

Dominant NGO activities in India 6 :

NGOs are also increasingly participating in conserving the environment and working for the preservation of forests, biodiversity hotspots, rivers and wildlife across the country. Be it participating in advocacy and policy research or running on-ground initiatives, environmental NGOs are fast occupying an important space in India’s social sector.

• The Present Scenario

India today is at a lowly rank of 131 among 188 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), which measures the average achievements in three basic areas – health, access to knowledge and standard of living. This rank is the lowest among BRICS countries. As of last year, more than 37% of India’s population of 1.25 billion still lives below the poverty line (MPL defined as $1.90 per day on PPP basis). More than 22% of the entire rural population and 15% of the urban population of India exists in this difficult physical and financial predicament 7 .

In the case of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) developed by the International Food Policy Institute, India ranks 100th among 119 countries. Despite a significant improvement over the last 25 years, it is currently categorized as a country “at the high end of the serious category”! 8

This data shows that India still has a very long way to go in terms of social development, as compared to the rest of the world 9 .

As per a recent study (covering 26 of the 29 States) conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the instance of the Supreme Court, India accounts for 3.3 Million registered NGOs. That works out to nearly one NGO per 400 persons! This does not include the unknown number of unregistered NGOs. Surely, if so many “not for profit” organizations had been operating effectively, suitably supported by the Government and other stakeholders, India would have been one of the most socially developed nations!

Currently, operational NGOs can be registered under any of three forms – Section 8 Companies, Societies and Trusts. The major differences between the three entities are summarized in the table below.

SOCIAL ENTERPRISES – AN EMERGING TREND

Many NGOs these days introduce themselves as Social Enterprises (SEs), largely to attract funds. A Social Enterprise is a company which produces exclusive, cost-efficient, sustainable goods and services for the society for mitigating the exclusion or developmental gap.

Currently, there is neither a legal definition of SEs, nor a legal framework for the SE ecosystem in India. Hence, SEs, depending on whether they are for-profit, not-for-profit, or hybrid, register themselves typically as – Not-for-Profit Small Cooperatives, Profit Sharing Cooperatives, For Profit Companies, and Section 8 Companies.

SEs focus on management, efficiency and sustainability, which increases their credibility and helps them acquire funds from the corporate or private sector for furthering their cause. This has inspired more NGOs to move towards efficiency and management techniques in order to improve their sustainability.

SEs work directly for community development by creating jobs or generating awareness among people. Health, agriculture, housing, energy, water and sanitation, livelihood and financial inclusion are the major SE sectors in India (India Social Enterprise Landscape Report, ADB, 2012). SEWA and Kudumbashree (Kerala) are examples of NGOs which are also Social Enterprises.

The scope of this paper includes not-for-profit SEs.

• POSItIVE FACtORS

a.   NGO achievements:

NGOs have been making remarkable contributions and establishing best practices in various fields. In education, NGOs have contributed to skilling, alternative methods of learning, education of girl children, etc. Some advocate environmental conservation while providing environmental education to young rural children through awareness campaigns. NGOs engaged in healthcare have introduced mid-day meal schemes and preventive healthcare schemes. Some of these work to address the problem of non-availability and inadequate quality of healthcare personnel through research, training and service innovation. In the area of rural development, some NGOs foster rural entrepreneurship and women empowerment by supporting grassroots innovators and social entrepreneurs through organized knowledge sharing. These and many such examples underline the immense contribution of the NGO sector to the development of our country.

b.   cultural Support:

The huge network of NGOs across the country, sustained by the innate altruism embedded in Indian culture, offers a huge advantage in addressing the enormous unfulfilled need for development. This is exemplified through programs like the traditional “Langar” in Punjab or the “Daan Utsav” celebrated across the country with passion.

c.  Government Schemes:

Numerous Government schemes have been initiated in the recent past dealing with important areas of social development although the schemes often have an overlap in their focus areas. For example, just in the area of Skilling, the following schemes are in various stages of implementation:

• Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Kaushal Yojana
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Urban Livelihoods Mission
• Modular Employable Skills
• Aajeevika- National Rural Livelihood Mission
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

These are piloted by various agencies like National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), National Skill Development Corporation, National Skill Development Fund, 33 Sector Skill Councils, the National Career Services, etc. The Ministries monitoring these initiatives include: Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

d.   Government funding:

Substantial government funds have been allotted for social development every year through schemes and policy initiatives. There has been criticism in some circles that the increase in Government allocation of funds for the social sector in the last budget has been insufficient, but there is no denying the fact that effective utilization of allocated funds in a genuine and transparent manner is the key issue.

e.   corporate funds:

Availability of funds for genuine social work has received a major boost with the re-enactment of the new Companies Act in 2014. This puts India in a unique position of being the only country in the world to have mandated corporate contribution for social development through legislation. As per the “India CSR Outlook 2017” 11 report by NGO Box:

• CSR spend in FY-17 by BSE BIG companies included in the survey, has been over 68.2 billion (Rs. 6820 crores) as against the prescribed CSR of Rs. 76.26 billion (Rs. 7626 crores).
• These 300 companies account for more than 2/3rd of total CSR spend in
• 55% of these projects were implemented through NGO

f.   Foreign funds:

Foreign funds have been accessed in fairly large amounts by several Indian NGOs. In a statement given in the Lok Sabha on 26th July 2016, the Government declared that there were 33091 NGOs registered as of that date under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which had received foreign funding amounting to a total of nearly Rs. 510 billion (Rs. 51000 crores) in the preceding 3 years till July 2016. Through a recent notification in Oct 2017, all existing and new NGOs which deal with foreign funds have been asked to register themselves with NITI Aayog (through the NGO-Darpan portal) and obtain unique IDs.

In summary, whereas the need for social development is enormous, solid government support and sufficient funds are available. A tremendous resource comprising 3.3 million NGOs can be a real game-changer!

• tHE StUMBLING BLOCKS

A recent World Bank report warns that in playing their role, civil society actors need to ensure they retain their core missions, integrity, purposefulness and high levels of trust and highest levels of accountability 12 .

Although the Indian Corporate sector has to an extent imbibed the requirements of governance voluntarily or otherwise, a large majority of the NGO sector has remained “disorganized” or “insufficiently organized” in this respect. This has led to a lack of transparency and has caused a trust deficit in the minds of Regulators, Donors and even the Impact Groups. It is also one of the factors which adversely impact funding as well as implementation of social development projects. A healthy relationship between NGOs and Funding agencies is conceivable only when both parties share a common vision and objectives. Despite the major step to make Corporate Funding for CSR mandatory, not many NGOs have been able to get the benefit. One of the important reason is lack of adoption and internalization of ‘good governance’ practices by NGOs. Most corporates would prefer to donate only to NGOs which understand and practice good governance. A recent article has also brought out instances of misuse of Corporate CSR funding by directing it towards politically important programs 13 rather than socially needed ones.

Lack of research on social economy i.e. contribution of NGOs to the Indian economy is becoming a hurdle in providing legitimacy to their work. Micro-data used for policy formulation is collected mostly by the government, e.g. by Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation

– MOSPI. The National Sample Survey Office i.e. NSSO’s 73rd Round report on unincorporated enterprises provides data on Not-for-profits -NFPs, i.e. entities who do not work for any kind of financial gain. There is no mention of NFPs which have revenue generating projects or for- profit organizations.

There is an overall lack of research on variations in Not-for-Profit (NFPs) organizations (recreational, religious, think tanks etc). Much of NFP data comes from NGOs which are not registered, or which are created by ‘barefoot’ activists. Established socially-oriented organizations such as Azim Premji Foundation, Tatas etc. as well as reputed academic institutions can be repositories of such data. This data should be regularly collected, updated and validated.

In India, only 10% of NGOs file their annual income and expenditure statements 14 . In January this year, the Hon. Supreme Court, in response to a five-year-old PIL, directed the Central and State Governments to take urgent steps to ensure transparency in operations by NGOs. The Supreme Court directed Central and State governments to scrutinize accounts of lakhs of NGOs and voluntary organizations and take civil and criminal action against all organizations misusing the grants. It directed the Central Government to frame and submit for the court’s scrutiny a guideline on the procedure for accreditation of NGOs and voluntary organizations. Taking a serious note of the situation, the Hon. Supreme Court has remarked, “We cannot allow the matter to remain in a flux. We must take the case forward as it has remained stagnant for years.”

The Intelligence Bureau Report– “Impact of NGOs on Development” 15 brought out in June 2014 stirred some controversy since it mentioned the adverse impact certain foreign-funded NGOs had potentially caused to India’s GDP through the misuse of funds in “anti-developmental” activities. In recent times, stringent steps have been taken against some of such NGOs including cancellations of their licenses.

Unfortunately, some segments of the NGO fraternity have been exploited to advance the interests of political parties, religious groups and unscrupulous elements involved in money- laundering and terrorism, which has led to a stigma around NGOs. Genuine and honest NGOs face the unpleasant consequences of such a stigma. Lack of strong governance among NGOs further exacerbates the scene. By no means is this purely an Indian phenomenon since there are several foreign extremist and terrorist organizations known to operate using NGOs as “fronts” for generating funds and gaining influence.

NGO establishments often tend to have high administrative overheads, as high as 60% of the project cost! In many cases, only 20% of funds are effectively used for development work.

Since the work being done by NGOs has a philanthropic “not-for-profit” perspective and is often driven by individuals with a passion for achieving their social goals which are not easily measurable, it is difficult for them to simultaneously incorporate a “professional” result- oriented approach. There is also a lack of awareness of the legal aspects and some consequent apprehension, especially among smaller NGOs. Given the very large number of small NGOs in India, they face hurdles in scaling up their operations due to the unavailability of stable, knowledgeable human resources.

The level of digitalization in the regulatory framework is also very low. In fact, this sector has not received much attention unlike many other areas like Taxation, Railways, and Land Records etc. In keeping with the emphasis laid on the Digital India initiative, it is important to simplify processes for the NGO sector too through the effective usage of IT tools. Lack of digitalization is an impediment when it comes to the smooth implementation of projects. Digitalization should ensure simplification of processes while minimizing duplication.

There is an urgent need to have a single Apex Nodal Agency at the Centre to keep track of all NGOs in all their forms – Trusts, Societies, Social Enterprises or Companies- with unique IDs and also to ensure sharing of necessary information across all states. This will synergize the efforts in Social Development and catalyse collaboration across NGOs, Regulatory authorities, Donors and Impact Groups.

It is therefore of utmost importance that we reflect on the status of the agencies, stakeholders, and eco-systems involved for social development. NGOs and the vast eco-system connected with it must be encouraged to reform and enhance the efficiency of their operations through improved governance.

• The PIC approach

The PIC Working Group on NGO Governance started addressing the issues related to the social development sector by holding discussions with separate groups comprising of NGOs, Corporate Donors, Regulatory and Legal authorities, and the Impact Groups involved in Social Development, since a multi-disciplinary approach is crucial for studying NGOs. As a result of these deliberations, it was observed that several steps have been taken by the government in the recent past in two areas:

• Emphasis on Compliance through elaborate regulation
• Enhancing sources of Funds through Legislation

Section II of this report describes the difficulties and problems faced by each of the stakeholders in detail.

After several rounds of brainstorming and a study of the extensive work done by several institutions and individuals, the Group concluded on some major steps which will go a long way in improving the Governance and Effectiveness of NGOs in India. 

Section III details the various recommendations.

Issues and problems within the social development sector.

This section focuses on issues faced by NGOs with other stake holders (like donors, corporates, governments and statutory agencies, beneficiaries and societies) and issues that the stakeholders face with NGOs.

Professionally organized NGOs tend to have clearly defined structures, roles and responsibilities and they manage projects by closely monitoring and evaluating the outcomes and their impacts through a formal reporting and control mechanism. Senior management and employees are trained on the required competencies and regular communication and transparency is maintained with the stakeholders involved in the projects. However, small organizations invariably find it difficult to carry out all these procedures for a host of reasons.

Based on the stakeholder meetings conducted by PIC, several issues concerning NGOs and other entities within the social development space emerged as crucial. They are as follows

Senior leadership / Management

The Chairperson/President may be a one-person army, taking all the decisions for the NGO. Many small and medium sized NGOs do not have a formal structure and decisions are often influenced by the likes, views and beliefs of the senior most people in the management, even though they may not have the expertise for making those decisions and may even lack a professional approach. Financial decisions or operational decisions taken through such an approach may result in improper utilization of resources (including human resources) and biased decisions. Often, funding is received by NGOs due to the influence and contacts of the senior leadership, rather than the NGO’s quality of work, capacity and maturity.

HR, Training and Capacity-building

Many NGOs face several difficulties in attracting and retaining talented, skilled people as the compensation structure is low, service conditions are poor, there are occupational hazards involved and there is no scope for vertical and lateral growth.

Most of such NGOs do not have a transparent recruitment process, which results in a non- uniform compensation policy. NGOs also face a high attrition rate due to these reasons, which Governance and Effectiveness of NGOs-The Way Ahead   are compounded with a lack of training and awareness, informal organizational structure, etc. Eventually, a person who joins the NGO continues working there only if he/she is passionate about serving the society.

Today a good number of Donors are reluctant to monitor the usage of funds provided for administrative and capacity building of the NGO staff; instead the focus is primarily on program implementation, which directly benefits the community.

In case of projects handled by the NGOs, the projects are identified and defined by the donors, CSR departments or the Government, based on convenience of implementation, visibility or personal interest rather than on the real needs of the people.

One of the important reasons for inadequate of performance of many NGOs is the low level of their capacities. NGOs often find passionate people who are enthusiastic to work for development of disadvantaged sections of society. However, many NGOs do not have the competencies and capacities to plan and execute programs effectively. Most NGOs face questions about sustainability and viability because they lack such competencies.

Operational and Governance Issues

Some other issues faced by NGOs during project implementation and management are as follows:

• NGOs do not use Planning tools based on data or formal Project Management Systems (PMS).
• Since PMS is not implemented, many projects suffer due to the implementation of inappropriate techniques, lack of regular and periodic review, absence of focus on quality, lack of mechanisms for recording, field constraints,
• Due to lack of periodic documentation of innovative practices and milestone achievements, knowledge sharing is not
• Timelines are extended due to several reasons such as local conditions, funds, and changes in priority, which are sometimes beyond the control of NGO

Proposals and Recommendations

3.1     classification of ngos by size and level of excellence.

Based on the numerous issues discussed in the previous section, we would like to make recommendations relevant to the area in which the issues are being faced. But before that, it is important to emphasize that the objective of improving NGO governance is to enhance and maximize the social impact of NGO Projects. Impact Groups and society in general must be able to gain as much sustainable benefit as possible from the work done by NGOs.

It is proposed to introduce two basic yardsticks when assessing NGOs – Size and Level of Excellence, in addition to their domain expertise and geographical relevance.

3.1.1      SIzE

It is important to recognize that NGOs differ widely in size and capacities. Additionally, factors such as public perception, media coverage, professional skills, knowledge and experience of staff are important in assessing the strength of NGOs. We would therefore distinguish/classify NGOs into three categories for size – large, medium and small. This classification would be based on:

• The number of full-time employees
• The number of volunteers
• The annual budget and

Below is a table that specifies the details under each classification criteria, to evaluate the size of an NGO. The median can be considered as the size of the NGO. To qualify for any of these sizes, the NGO should be evaluated in all criteria.

(m=million, cr = crore) 

It is proposed that a systematic process be introduced for classifying NGOs by their size.

3.1.2    LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE

A major recommendation of this report is the use of a Model Assessment Tool (described in detail subsequently) to objectively evaluate NGOs’ Level of Excellence. Five Levels of Excellence have been recommended with Stage 5 being the highest. The assessment of Level of Excellence has deliberately been unconnected from the size, since it is possible for a small NGO to reach high levels of excellence.

Often it is seen that large NGOs get preferred because of their size, domain expertise, and geographical relevance, made possible by their large operating budgets. While this breeds a certain level of complacency in such large NGOs, it also provides little incentive for smaller NGOs to invest in measures enhancing efficiency.

3.2     Management & Governance

3.2.1    apex nodal agency.

There is an urgent need to create a single Apex Nodal Agency at the Centre to carry out the following functions:

• To create a directory and act as a single online repository for information on all NGOs in the country, including their official registration IDs, their focus areas and competency
• To interact with its international counterparts (such as the Australian authorities as recommended in point 11) to further develop and refine the proposed Model Assessment Tool.
• To select qualified agencies and authorize them to accredit NGOs on its
• To facilitate the cross-fertilization of ideas at a national as well as global
• To bring about the harmonization/moderation of regulatory policies of various
• To facilitate periodic meetings of Charity Commissioners across
• To facilitate alignment of NGO efforts with national and international objectives such as the Sustainable Development Goals by identifying priority
• To create a platform for exploring and sharing data available with reputed organisations and academic institutions involved in social development (both domestic and international). It should also enable periodic updating of data used for policymaking at the Central and State

Since the operations of NGOs cut across central as well as state regulations, it is recommended that a centrally appointed ‘indian council for Social Development’ – icSD be created as an Apex Nodal Agency, headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge. Members should include representatives from the government regulatory agencies, Charity Commissioners of various states, corporate donors (by rotation) and eminent social reformers and institutions. The ICSD should be connected to global councils such as International Council for Social Welfare which includes national networks of other countries.

The objective for formation of the ICSD is not to constitute another bureaucratic entity which would further regulate or scrutinize NGOs’ functioning, but to create a common and open platform to facilitate better knowledge sharing across the country. This will synergize and continually enhance the Social Development movement and catalyse collaboration across NGOs, Regulatory authorities and Beneficiaries.

3.2.2    SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Trustees play a crucial role in maintaining the overall decorum and health of their NGO. Often, coming from distinguished backgrounds, Trustees can help in raising funds for the NGOs and in developing the organization through collaboration.

Trustees can help in keeping an oversight on the operations of an NGO through close contact with its Director or CEO. Trustees must act as a sounding board for the CEO or Director, help draw up mission and vision statements of the NGO and ensure that the NGO doesn’t operationally deviate from these. They must particularly focus on keeping the NGO legally compliant and check whether the impact of the projects implemented is in alignment with the vision and mission of the NGO.

Trustees should also follow defined processes for governance which are fair and transparent and be open to continual improvement based on changes or feedback information from different stakeholders, maintaining a proper balance always. Such an approach would support knowledge/ experience accumulation and growth. Gaining and retaining the trust and confidence of donors as well as beneficiaries should be the ultimate goal.

Formal Guidelines for Trustees Trustees are the guides and monitors of the NGO. Their roles and responsibilities regarding the NGO must include but are not limited to the following 16 –

• Play advisory roles, depending upon their area of
• Regularly attend Trustee meetings and committee meetings (if any) and to meet otherwise as frequently as necessary to properly discharge their
• Be responsible for improving credibility and governance standards of the
• Ensure the formulation of a robust risk management
• Oversee the financial reporting process and disclosure of the NGO’s financial information, related party transactions and qualification in the draft audit
• Ensure the NGO’s compliance with all legal requirements and the social and developmental priorities indicated by the central government and the concerned state governments from time to
• Act as custodians of the proposed strategies of the NGO, bearing in mind the economics of any potential transaction. However, they should refrain from assuming executive responsibilities for the deliverables of the
• Oversee the appointment, assessment and remuneration of key

To provide the Trustees with better clarity for their role and responsibilities in leading the NGOs, development of a formal orientation program in the form of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) by ICSD is recommended.

3.2.3    HR, TRAINING AND CAPACITY-BUILDING

Capacity building is a crucial aspect for the performance of any NGO and it is necessary for their sustainability and success. Capacity building also helps in maintaining good quality and standards of services and in promoting a professional approach within the NGO. Considering rapid changes in the development sector and the changing needs of society, there is an urgent need for capacity building of NGOs.

Project management skills – the ability to plan projects, maintain deadlines, conduct effective monitoring and evaluation by analysing the cost-benefit ratio, design and maintain budgets, are critical for program implementation in any NGO. Personnel should be trained in behavioural skills, communication, IT-enabled project management, and in some cases, logical framework analysis (LFA) which can be a useful tool, both in the planning, monitoring and evaluation management of development projects.

Employee retention is crucial and should be achieved by collaborating with local social service institutions in a structured manner with previously defined human resource requirements. This will also help tackle the problem of lack of qualified staff members. Improving staff quality will aid in setting parameters of governance, such as accountability and transparency.

NGOs should focus on HR training which will ensure empowered and responsible staff and managers who are focused on improving the overall performance of the NGO. This will help the NGO in meeting its target through a professional approach towards key stakeholders.

3.2.4    LEGAL COMPLIANCES

Besides the online directory of NGOs that is proposed to be set up through ICSD, there must be one comprehensive website set up by the Government which carries all information regarding legal compliances for NGOs. This should also include the schemes of the Government in the development sector. This can be a part of the same portal hosted by ICSD as well. A single window must be established for ease of implementation of processes. Furthermore, initiatives such as the camps conducted by the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner Office (CCO) in 7000 villages to raise awareness towards compliances, will help bridge the gap in awareness and in reducing discrepancies in reporting.

NGOs on their part must make sure that their legal compliances are in place. A quarterly legal compliance report must be generated by each NGO and shared on their website as well. Also, considering the distinctions between the legal status of Trust, Society and Section 8 companies (Section I, point 4), there is merit in merging Trust and Society structures in the long term, to simplify legal procedures.

It is suggested that NGOs carrying out activities through a combination of domestic and FCRA funds should be treated a little differently. Purely technical or administrative errors or oversights should not be treated as contraventions leading to serious actions like suspension or cancellation of registration, confiscation, penalties or prosecution. The action that may be taken by the regulatory authorities should be commensurate with the type of non-compliance. The regulators should take up stringent measures only where they suspect serious violations or non-compliances, which could be detrimental to national interest. In other words, procedures and rules should be followed not merely by the letter.

3.2.5. DIGITALIZATION

It is encouraging to note the several initiatives being implemented in Maharashtra and Gujarat in this respect. A drive called “DÃTÔ initiated by Maharashtra Government has identified four key principles – Transparency, Access to Information, E-Governance and Ease of Operation. Once this drive is successful, it will certainly be useful for other states to emulate this initiative.

The Charity Commissioner in Maharashtra has already taken up a mission to reform the NGO sector. According to the circular issued in April 2017 for Maharashtra Charity Organizations, the rules for digitalization have already led to amendments especially with respect to Schedule I(registration of NGOs, their records and documents) and filing of change reports. These measures will surely ease processes for NGOs.

In Gujarat, the Integrated Workflow and Document Management System (IWDMS) tool was implemented to improve accountability, transparency and effectiveness through automating government functions and processes at different levels of hierarchy.

3.2.6      FOCUS ON NEED-BASED PROJECTS AND INTER-NGO COLLABORATION

Two significant suggestions came through in all our stakeholder group meetings:

• CSR departments and NGOs should take up work that is need-based and not demand-based or convenience-based. The convenience of the project location should not solely dictate the choices and decisions taken for projects undertaken by CSR
• NGOs should join hands and take up joint projects so that the effectiveness of the project is enhanced and trust between donors/corporates and civil society is Joint projects can provide momentum by optimizing use of human and financial capital and reduce the overall time for completion of the projects.

3.2.7    IMPROVING REGULAtORY FRONt

On the regulatory front, Maharashtra is a good example to borrow from.

Implementation of several important amendments in the Maharashtra Trusts Act is under way. The Maharashtra Charity Commissioner has taken several steps to bring in accountability and root out non-genuine Trusts. As of December 2016, Maharashtra alone had nearly 800,000 Trusts and 660,000 Societies registered. Of these nearly 390,000 Trusts were found to be “non- functional” 17 . The Charity Commissioner has de-registered thousands of such cases already. Other effective initiatives were also undertaken by the Charity Commissioner’s Office (CCO) in Maharashtra. While these steps were necessary, it is important to avoid creating a scare among genuine NGOs which play an important role in the nation’s social development.

A model example from the international arena would be that of Australia. A study by Bloodgood et al (2014) 18 analysed the NGO regulation structures of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in three areas, namely, (a) barriers to entry, (b) constraints on NGOs’ political activities, and (c) constraints on NGOs’ economic resources. Measuring with the help of an index based on these parameters, the study found that Australia has the most permissive, pluralist and liberal style of NGO regulation. It has lowered barriers for NGOs to enter the sector (by imposing no restrictions on NGO formation), have expanded the scope and flexibility of their activities, and reduced the limits on their ability to raise funds from non- traditional sources.

Within the Australian regulatory framework, specific regulations concern different aspects of NGOs, such as fund-raising, internal governance, and politicking. With the exception of tax regulations, most restrictions on NGOs are weakly enforced. Penalties are economic in nature, and not leading to loss of status. The Australian regulatory framework separates charities from general non-profits by applying slightly more restrictive rules to the former. However, charities are also allowed an increase in economic resources.

Australian NGOs are given the space to be policy critics, albeit within a framework. According to a statement by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Community Affairs in 1991, “an integral part of the consultative and lobbying role of these organizations is to disagree with government policy where this is necessary in order to represent the interests of their constituents”. NGOs and charities can engage in economic activities such as fund-raising, sales of by-products, fees for different charitable services, use of commercial suppliers, and passive investments, “as long as economic activities do not constitute their main purpose” and profits are not harvested and redistributed among members. Over time, new laws have evolved, but they do not impose restrictions on NGOs, but further clarify the conditions under which NGOs can undertake activities.

3.2.7.1NOt-FOR-PROFIt, POLICY RESEARCH/ADVOCACY NGOS

This category of organisations has not been adequately addressed. Several such organisations are not even registered as NGOs. For example, “think tanks” lie at the intersection of public policy, academia and mass media. They are a growing force in India’s research and development sector, especially in the areas of public policy and developmental studies. While some are for- profit, many are not-for-profit. Those in the latter category need to be treated as a part of the civil society sector.

It is recommended that a uniform policy be followed requiring all such organisations to be registered as NGOs.

3.2.8    DEFINING OVERHEADS

Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013, which stipulates the CSR rules, requires that corporations above a defined level of financials spend 2% of their profits on CSR programs, but it puts a cap on permissible administrative expenses at 5% of the annual CSR spend 19 . This threshold is very low when compared to the resources that a non-profit organisation requires.

Service providers face the challenge of rising administrative costs which can hamper project growth. To tackle this, salaries for roles under accounts, administration, general management etc., should be considered as fixed overheads, while all expenses that are incurred while working on projects should fall under project expenses. Policy research and/or advocacy NGOs will incur direct expenses, which are not overheads, due to the nature of their work.

Outcome of any expenditure can be used as a criterion to assess the proportion of funds going into overheads. An objective analysis of the social and economic impact of overhead investments will ensure there is no wastage of resources.

Defining overheads uniformly for different categories of NGOs will enable some cap to be maintained, which will further ensure that sustainable and long-lasting organisations are facilitated.

3.2.9    tAX RELAtED IMPROVEMENtS

Regarding deductibility of CSR expenditure, there are different provisions under the Income Tax Act 1961 depending on whether the amounts fall under section 80G, section 35 etc. Such differentiation should be removed by bringing in the appropriate amendment in Section 37 of the Income Tax Act. The ambiguities in certain legal provisions should be removed.

Certain changes in tax provisions would be required to promote socio- economic development and to reduce litigation for NGOs and Companies. This would help, as Companies which are covered under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 for undertaking mandatory CSR expenditure to the extent of 2% of the net profits, would be encouraged to contribute more to deserving NGOs carrying out social activities. If NGOs receive greater contribution through CSR, they would be in a better position to implement more projects for the benefit of the poor and needy.

2.9.2 GOODS AND SERVICES tAX

While the GST is applicable to charitable organisations, many aspects of it need to be clarified to ensure effective and fair implementation.

The definition of ‘charitable’ activity is very narrow and restrictive in the framework of GST. Also, exemption from GST is essentially based on registration under section 12AA of the Income Tax, Act 1961. However, the definition of the term ‘Charitable’ and the conditions to be fulfilled for claiming exemption are substantially different in GST laws and Income Tax laws. Further, the timing aspect differs as well – the exemption under the Income Tax law essentially relates to an assessment year, while under the GST laws, the exemption relates to the date of the transaction. This has created ambiguity for NGOs, leading to worries about technical compliances, and qualification criterion for exemption from GST (please see Annex 1).

3.2.10 SOCIAL IMPACT AUDITS

Comprehensive social impact audits must be carried out by a designated person from an NGO along with a third party or stakeholder who can assess and clarify the impact.

A social impact audit is a way of measuring, understanding, reporting and ultimately improving the output of the NGOs social development effort. It helps in reducing the gaps between the NGO’s vision/goal and reality as also between efficiency and effectiveness.

Social impact auditing influences governance. It values the opinions of stakeholders, including those of marginalized groups whose voices are rarely heard. Social impact auditing is taken up for enhancing local governance, particularly for strengthening accountability and transparency in local bodies.

Objectives of Social impact audit:

• Assessing the physical and financial gaps between needs and resources available for local
• Creating awareness among beneficiaries and providers of local social
• Increasing efficacy and effectiveness of local development
• Scrutiny of various policy decisions, keeping in view stakeholder interests and priorities, particularly of rural
• Estimation of the opportunity cost for stakeholders of not getting timely access to public
• Innovation, sustainability, cultural improvement, improved quality of life, etc are some other areas to be covered in social
• Aligning plans undertaken by different agencies with national social development goals

advantages of Social impact audit:

• Trains the community in participatory local
• Encourages local self-governance.
• Encourages community
• Focuses on disadvantaged
• Promotes collective decision-making.
• Develops human resources and social capital.
• Provides valuable feedback for periodic review of various social development initiatives to align them with national

To be effective, the social impact auditor must have the right to:

• Seek clarifications from the implementing agency about any decision, activity, scheme, income and expenditure incurred by the agency;
• Consider and scrutinize existing schemes and local activities of the agency, especially from the point of view of the impact group; and
• Access registers and documents relating to all development activities undertaken by the implementing agency or by any other government Although social impact audits are essential, none of the existing agencies are currently equipped to conduct them.

3.2.11  MODEL ASSESSMENt tOOL FOR LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE

To enable creation of a credible ecosystem for NGOs, it is essential to motivate and involve them in a systematic and objective way for assessing their current level of governance and accountability and help them progressively improve upon it. Regulation alone will not achieve this objective.

Considering the different inputs obtained by the PIC Working Group, a proposed Model Assessment Tool is presented (please see Annex 2). We recommend that NGOs first conduct a self-assessment using the tool. This will facilitate and prepare them for a formal external assessment. The salient guiding principles which have led to the creation of this tool are:

• Help the NGOs, whether classified as Small, Medium or Large in size, to objectively assess various aspects of their Governance Level using a simple Q&A
• Enable a duly qualified and approved assessment agency to engage with the managerial and operational staff of the NGO being assessed with a focus on “continual improvement” rather than on “fault finding”.
• Support in benchmarking current practices with “best in class” practices using global
• Help the NGO in clearly identifying strengths and weaknesses and provide a “compass” to guide
• Consider the expectations of all the Stakeholders – Regulatory Authorities, Donors (including Government, Corporates, Domestic/Foreign Institutions or Individuals), and NGOs as well as
• Provide an inspirational perspective to motivate NGOs to improve their level of Governance in a measurable
• Enable Donors to clearly identify and distinguish the right level of Governance among the NGO community, to increase their confidence in selecting the right
• Enhance the level of transparency and

3.2.11.1HOW TO USE THE TOOL

The Model Assessment Tool helps an NGO to improve its governance and aids its growth and stability. Five levels indicate a path which an NGO can progressively follow towards higher levels of excellence. The tool is targeted towards medium and large NGOs, but it is open to all, including small NGOs. Levels 1 and 2 are best suited to evaluate small NGOs, while large and medium NGOs are encouraged to aspire to move up to level 5.

The tool contains a set of questions with scores and associated guidance for assessment. An NGO can conduct a self-assessment first and ascertain its current level. The questions follow a yes/no format. For each ‘YES’, the NGO scores 5 points, and for each ‘NO’ the NGO receives 0 points. A score of 50% in a given level would indicate a satisfactory position at that particular Level.

However, an NGO, to claim a particular level, needs to score at least 90% in lower levels in addition to 50% in the attempted level. For example, an NGO, to claim Level 3, must obtain at least 90% in Levels 1 and 2 and 50% in Level 3.

Each round of assessment might reveal gaps or areas of improvements, both of which can be classified as findings or observations. The NGO management should find ways and means to implement a corrective action based on its own experience or with an expert’s support. This would require training of staff, sharing of knowledge/information and focusing on expected outcomes.

3.2.11.2WHO IS BEST SUITED TO CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT?

In order to ensure objectivity and uniformity, only an agency authorized by the Indian Council for Social Development (ICSD) should conduct external assessment. Such an agency would have been trained to conduct a professional assessment of management systems and would be familiar with NGO issues. The agency should also be able to analyse the practices adopted by the NGO and evaluate them objectively against international best practices. The agency should be able to contribute towards the development of the assessed NGO.

Prior to an external assessment, it is recommended that an internal self-assessment be conducted by the NGO with its own staff.

3.2.11.3WHERE tO GEt KNOWLEDGE OF BEttER PRACtICES?

Global benchmarking of best practices would be possible through sharing of experience with other comparable NGOs or from publications on Quality.

A useful role can be played by the external assessment agency by suggesting the use of “best practices” being adopted by other NGOs, both domestic and foreign, even though it might not always be possible to disclose the name of the concerned NGO. A useful input in this regard would be a monthly publication by ICSD. This could include case studies of successful NGOs.

Such an exercise of benchmarking would provide the necessary motivation to NGOs for continually improving their governance.

3.2.12  ACCREDITATION

The process of accreditation has been implemented on a limited scale within the social development sector in India but has been largely an informal one. While some good accreditation models created by organisations such as Credibility Alliance, CRISIL, GiveIndia, Charities Aid Foundation do exist 20 , they are currently operating in a fragmented manner, with different yardsticks and parameters. It is important to have a common framework, and the aim should be to create a nation-wide platform providing uniformity to the accreditation process.

It is also important to conduct a formal overview of the global scene as far as regulation of NGOs is concerned. A paper titled ‘National Styles of NGO Regulation’ in the Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly classifies countries based on an index with three criteria – severity of requirements for registration, extent of Government discretion in approval, and complexity of regulations. As per the analysis in this paper, Australia is the most liberal followed by Switzerland, UK, USA and France. Countries like Norway, Italy, Poland and Belgium have been rated as the most restrictive.

Australia follows a well-formulated model of NGO accreditation. It has been developed and implemented jointly by their Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Committee for Development Cooperation (CDC) and Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). The CDC is a joint DFAT–NGO advisory body which considers each accreditation review report prior to making its recommendation to the DFAT delegate for a final decision 21 .The accreditation process is characterized by peer reviews. Each accreditation assessment allows for an exchange between the Review Team and the NGO. The Review Team’s final report is presented to the CDC.

Some of the relevant prerequisites for NGOs in the Australian model are:

• NGOs must be an Australian organization with an Australian Business Number (ABN) issued by the Australian Taxation Office;
• NGOs must demonstrate a minimum 2-year track record of managing developmental
• NGOs must have a recognized development expenditure (RDE) of A$50,000 minimum, averaged over three years, if applying for Base accreditation; or an RDE of A$100,000 minimum, averaged over three years, if applying for Full

Similar prerequisites could also be applied in the Indian context. The pattern of having a ‘base’ and ‘full’ accreditation with different criteria for both categories is very useful as it would help in reaching out to smaller NGOs which do not have enough capacity, extensive track record or robust systems. The Review Teams play an important role in this accreditation process and they usually comprise development and NGO experts, and finance specialists.

It is recommended that the ICSD should have a formal interaction with the CDC and other Australian authorities to incorporate applicable features of the Australian model in the Model Assessment Tool.

3.2.13  StIMULUS FOR BEttER GOVERNANCE

NGOs, especially the small and medium ones, should be given suitable incentives to go through a formal assessment process by authorised agencies, using approved tools. The incentives for accreditation can be in the form of financial assistance for training and accreditation. Accreditation should be included in the pre-qualification criteria for Government projects. Apart from being formally recognised through suitable awards, accredited NGOs should get preference for funding in Government projects. Corporate and international donors would also find this approach useful.

NGOs form the foundation on which India can hope to build a unique framework for sustained social development. No other country is so richly endowed with the dedicated human resources necessary for massive social upliftment.

Although the rapidly changing aspirations of our youth will throw up new challenges, it is this demographic advantage that we need to leverage by making a drastic change in our processes. If the recommendations made in this report are followed through with the necessary consultation and action, Social Development in India can move at a much higher rate and help the country attain the ambitious goals it has set for itself.

Points of differences and similarities regarding exemption for ‘Charitable’ activities under IT law and GST law

Governance and Effectiveness of NGOs-The Way Ahead  

  Annexure 2

Model assessment tool.

1 Human Development Report, United Nations Development Program 2016. http://hdr.undp. org/sites/default/files/2016_human_development_report.pdf

2 Concepts and Functions of NGOs, Rai Technology University. http://164.100.133.129:81/ eCONTENT/Uploads/CONCEPTS_AND_FUNCTIONS_OF_NGO.pdf

3 The Top 100 NGOs 2013, The Global Journal, 2013, http://www.theglobaljournal.net/ group/15-top-100-ngos-2013/article/585/

4 Salamon LM et al, Global Civil society: an overview, Johns Hopkins Centre for Civic Social Studies, 2003, http://ccss.jhu.edu

5 Wilco de Jonge, Brianne McGonigle Leyh, Anja Mihr, Lars van Troost (eds.) 50 Years of AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL – Reflections and Perspectives, Amnesty International and SIM, 2011, https://www.uu.nl/sites/default/files/sim-special-36_50_y ear s_of_amnesty_international. pdf

6 Invisible, Yet Widespread: The Non-Profit Sector In India, PRIA, 2002, https://pria.org/ uploaded_files/article_category/Invisible_Yet_Widespread_-_The_Non_Profit_Sector_in_India. pdf

7 Poverty in India, Economy Watch, 2010, http://www.economywatch.com/indianeconomy/ poverty-in-india.html

8 Global Hunger Index, International Food Policy Research Institute 2017, http://www. globalhungerindex.org/pdf/en/2017.pdf

9 Overview of Civil Society Organisations, India, Asian Development Bank, 2009, https://www . adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/28966/csb-ind.pdf

10 Includes both private and public Trusts.

11 CSR Spend Analysis of FY 2016-17 BSE Big Companies, India CSR Outlook Report, 2017,

http://ngobox.org/media/India%20CSR%20Outlook%20Report%202017_V1.pdf

12 The Future Role of Civil Society, World Economic Forum, 2013 http://www3.weforum.org/ docs/WEF_FutureRoleCivilSociety_Report_2013.pdf

13 Sundar Pushpa, Social projects bypassed as firms spend CSR funds to curry favour with govt, Business Standard, 2018 https://www .bu siness-standard.com/article/economy-policy/social- projects-bypassed-as-firms-spend-csr-funds-to-curry-favour-with-govt-118122300158_1.html

14 Rajagopal Krishnadas, Only 10% NGOs have filed financial details with govt: CBI to SC, the Hindu, 2015, http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/only-10-ngos-have-filed-financial- details-with-govtcbi-to-sc/article7665565.ece    

15 Intelligence Bureau report reveals how NGOs work against development of India, The Economic Times, 2014, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ intelligence-bureau-report-reveals-how-ngos-work-against-development-of-india/ articleshow/36890817.cms

16 Norms on appointing Independent directors, IAS Parliament, 2017, http://www. iasparliament.com/current-affairs/daily-news/norms-on-appointing-independent-directors, India Fraud Indicator 2012- Increasing magnitude of fraud, Ernst and Young’s Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, 20 12,https://www .ey .com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Fr aud_ and_corporate_governance_changing_paradigm_in_India/$FILE/Fraud_and_corporate_ governance_changing_paradigm_in_India.pdf ,

Who are Independent Directors and what role they play, Economic Times, 2013, https:// economictimes.indiatimes.com/slideshows/corporate-industry/who-are-independent-directors- and-what-role-they-play/slideshow/17853907.cms,

Rodyk Dentons, Duties and responsibilities of independent directors – An overview, Lexology, 2016 https://www .lex ology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=767da924-f95a-439f-9eb1- 9e4d3fc393db,

Suraj Anil, CORPORAtE GOVERNANCE & INDEPENDENt DIRECtORS IN INDIA, tejas IIM-

Bangalore, http://tejas.iimb.ac.in/articles/104.php.

17 Digital Administration for Transparency and Accountability (DATA), The Charity Commissioner’s office, Maharashtra, https://charity.maharashtra.gov.in/en-us/

18 Bloodgood et al, ‘National Styles of NGO Regulation’ Non-profit and Voluntary Sector

Quarterly 43(4), 2014, http://faculty.washington.edu/aseem/nvsq.pdf. Working draft – http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/ download?doi=10.1.1.702.1082&rep=rep1&type=pdf

19 Section 135, Companies Act 2013

20 Shah Shaili, How is the government cracking down on fake NGOs, WTD News, 2018, http:// wtdnews.com/how-is-the-government-cracking-down-on-fake-ngos/

21 Australian NGO Accreditation Guidance Manual, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2016, https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/ngo-accreditation-manual.pdf

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• The rise to success of Indian NGOs

India, being a country challenged by extreme poverty in some areas, birthed many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) who have been successful and even used as models to new NGOs from all over the globe. Since the Indian government only provides 1.4 percent of their GDP for healthcare (Pandey, 2017), NGOs have seen the need to succeed in their initiatives and care for the citizens. To name a few of the most successful organizations are the following: 

1.    Smile Foundation   In many of the isolated and difficult to access areas of India, people are uneducated, some don’t have livelihoods, and have poor healthcare services. Thus, Smile Foundation has been helping issues relating to healthcare, women empowerment, education, and providing livelihoods. 

2.    Cry India  Cry India is an NGO which started in Mumbai but has expanded to other areas in India like Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, and Kolkata. They focus on areas relating to education because they aim to ensure all children can be admitted to free education, homes, and proper healthcare services. 

3.     Lepra Society  Lepra Society is an NGO which focuses on many things. For example, they aim to prevent diseases like HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and malaria which are prevalent in India. Additionally, they also helped blind individuals go through their everyday lives with less burden. Also, they have expressed their concerns relating to gender discrimination in the workplace and have been working to put a stop to it. Like many other NGOs, Lepra Society also wishes to one day eradicate poverty in India, although they still have a long way to go, one area at a time. 

4.    Sagram Sanstha One of the top NGOs in India is Sargam Sanstha and for many years they have focused on underprivileged children in India. They believe that the key to a bring future for the country is to educate young people to reach their full potential. Since 1986 this organization has been helping children attend school and pursue studies in universities and eventually contribute to society. 

5.    Nanhi Kali In most parts of the world, the educational attainment of boys have been more important than that of girls. But Nanhi Kali believes in equality for all and have been supporting many girls to attend school. 

6.    Help Age India Help Age India is an example of an Indian NGO who has gained recognition nationally for the efforts they have put into the aid they have provided for the elderly. Life has been extremely difficult for the underprovided elderly population in India. Their bodies are no longer as strong to provide for their needs such as medical needs. 

7.    Goonj Limited Goonj Limited is an NGO who has expanded in over 21 states in India. They are known to provide clothing for those who are unable to afford it, especially the children. 

Funds for NGOs in India have been prominent given the success they have had throughout the years. Many NGOs have already lessened the rate of malnutrition in the country. Many facilities have also been sanitized to avoid viruses and infections from arising in many children. Funds for NGOs have always been difficult to acquire but if you establish your NGO enough and get recognized, receiving funds will get slightly easier. Following the footsteps of the organizations mentioned above can be an idea. Above everything, these NGOs didn’t have things easy either but made their way up from below to pursue their mission and vision. 

Through the NGOs present in India, many Indians have been experiencing a better life. There’s no stopping these NGOs from continually helping and encouraging many of the disadvantaged.

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Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Recent Issues

Last updated on March 28, 2024 by ClearIAS Team

In this post let us see NGOs in detail as per the latest UPSC syllabus, also covering the recent issues associated with them.

Table of Contents

Definition of NGOs

The World Bank defines NGOs as private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development.

NGOs are legally constituted organizations which operate independently from Government and are generally considered to be nonstate, nonprofit oriented groups who pursue purposes of public interest .

Different agencies recognize these groups with different names such as Civil SocietyOrganizations(CSO), charitable organizations, voluntary organizations etc.

History of NGO in India:

Phase One : The first half of 19 th century in Indian history was marked by initiation of social reform movements. These reform movements evoked the spirit of devoting life to do something for the disadvantaged sections of the society. It recognized the right of untouchables to education, work of choice and worship, the right of women to education and other social aspects of life. This gave birth to the idea of voluntary organizations for the first time in Indian history.

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Phase two : Second half of 19 th century witnessed an unprecedented socio-political awakening resulted in the blooming of institutionalized reform movements such as Brahmo Samaj, Arya samaj, Ramakrishna Mission etc. And this prompted the Government to enact Societies registration act 1860.

Phase three  (1900-1947): This period marked the successful attempt of channelizing the voluntary spirit for political action and mass mobilization for the struggle for independence. It influenced the formation of many future voluntary organizations.

Post Independence period:  In the post-independence period, a large number of voluntary organizations have taken part in the process of nation building. The shift to a neoliberal economic and political agenda facilitated the growth of voluntary organizations at a faster pace.

Registration of NGOs

Indian NGOs mainly comes under three segments – Societies, Trusts, Charitable Companies.

• Societies : Societies have to register under The societies Registration Act,1860.
• Trusts : Private trusts are registered under the central government’s Indian Trusts Act, 1882, and public ones are registered under the state legislation concerned.
• Charitable companies : They are set up according to section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. For charitable companies, the compliance requirements are high, as loans and advances are easily available to them compared to a trust or a society. They have to even pay Income tax under IT act 1961.

Who regulate NGOs?

There are laws for the regulation of the functioning of NGOs in India. Foreign contribution regulation Act(FCRA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act(FEMA Act)  are among the most important laws connected with NGOs.

Foreign contribution regulation Act(FCRA)

History: Enacted in 1976 by the IndiraGandhi led Government during the emergency. It regulates all grants, non-Indian gifts, and donations-Indian residents. It also prohibits electoral candidates, political parties, judges, MPs and even cartoonists from accepting foreign contributions. The ostensible justification given for the law was to curb foreign interference in domestic politics.

FCRA (Amendment Act) 2010 highlights:

The amended FCRA Act 2010, barred organizations of ‘political nature’ from accepting foreign contributions. It also mandated that the organizations receiving foreign funds should renew their licenses every five years.

FCRA and Political parties

• In 2014, Delhi High court found that both BJP and Congress were violating the provisions of FCRA (See the FCRA,2010 Amendment) by accepting funds from the Indian Subsidiaries of London-based multinational Vedanta.
• In 2016, Government made an amendment to FCRA 2010 with retrospective effect, so that contribution from foreign companies (with 50% foreign shareholding) to not-for-profit, political parties and candidates contesting elections, newspapers, government employees etc. does not come under the definition of foreign source.

Impact of Amendment

• It made legal for political parties to accept foreign aid through Indian subsidiaries.
• This move helped Companies to ease the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) spending as the repetitive consent from the Home Ministry is no longer required for the disbursement of funds by the foreign companies.
• NGOs have got access to foreign funds more easily than before except for the prior permission category NGOs.

FCRA and NGOs:

• According to the FCRA, any NGO that accepts foreign contribution has to register with the Home Ministry and such contributions can only be accepted through designated banks.
• The NGO has to report to the central government any foreign contribution within 30 days of its receipt.
• They need to file annual reports with the home ministry. It must also report the amount of foreign contribution, its source, how it was received, the purpose for which it was intended, and the manner in which it was utilized.
• In a case of non-compliance with provisions of the FCRA, the government can penalize an NGO. For example, if these NGOs don’t file annual returns, the government can issue a show-cause notice and subsequently, suspend or cancel their foreign funding licenses.
• In the last two years, licenses of around 20000 NGOs have been canceled by the central government after they were found violating various provisions of FCRA act. Hence those NGOs were barred from receiving any foreign funds.

Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA)

• There are certain NGOs which are registered under FEMA and they disburse foreign funds to various associations within the country. Nearly 100 international NGOs and associations receive foreign funds through their liaison offices and disburse them to NGOs across India.
• According to FEMA Act, these NGOs are regulated by Finance Ministry . For example, International donors such as the Ford Foundation, the U.K.’s Department for International Development etc are registered under FEMA but not the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) 2010. This makes it difficult to monitor the flow of funds effectively.

The role of NGOs in our society

• They act as service contractors, able to work more efficiently and more effectively than government agencies thereby playing an important role in the socio-economic transformation.
• It brings in accountability and transparency to governance.
• It acts as a human rights watchdog in the society.
• NGOs act as channels for donors to provide international development funds to low-income countries or developing countries.

Issues with the functioning of NGOs:

• Misappropriation of funds: Many NGOs don’t have sophisticated finance and legal teams, nor do they have the funds to conduct audits.
• The external issue of funding: According to government data a total of 3,068 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) received foreign funding above Rs. 22,000 Cr in 2014-15. It is often said that foreign-funded NGOs tries to propagate the foreign propaganda to stall developmental projects. Example: Kudankulam Protest.
• Nonaccountable, nontransparent undemocratic functioning: CBI records filed in the Supreme Court show that only 10% of the total registered NGOs under the Societies Registration Act file annual financial statements.
• Money Laundering: Corrupt or unscrupulous NGOs that receive foreign funds may serve as conduits for money laundering.
• A regulatory mechanism to keep a watch on the financial activities of NGOs and voluntary organizations is the need of the hour.
• The government should frame guidelines for their accreditation, the manner in which these organizations should maintain their accounts and the procedure for recovery in case they fail to submit their balance sheets.
• Avoid tussle between Home Ministry and Finance Ministry by bringing the regulation of NGOs under one head.
• General Financial Rules, 2005 have mandated a regulatory mechanism for the NGOs and a comprehensive law in line with these rules should be framed in no time.

Read:  Self-Regulatory Organisations (SROs)

References:

• The Hindu  and The Hindu .
• Wikipedia .
• Economic Times .
• First Post .
• FCRAonline .
• Global Policy .

Article contributed by: Sree Resmi S

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February 22, 2017 at 11:19 am

February 13, 2019 at 1:14 am

Dear all We have started Activity as a Non Government Organization in Afghanistan by the name of Universal Necessity Relief Organization (UNRO) and execute services and Activity in different sections. We are just work for the prosperity and Dignity of Society and people. This organization is not a part of political and religious bounds. We are serving country, society and people, in Women Improvement, Agriculture,Gender Equality,Peace and Justice,powerity of Human Healthcare and Good health servicess, Education and Social services. especially we want to prepare trainings of capacity building for women and those children who are poor, street walkers, Vulnerable not have food to eat and are not access to school or education. We are hopeful that can provide programs for them in the parts above named to build their future and could manage their future life normally without any distinction with men and other children and could promote their Economy. We want to upbringing the Talents and build capacities to build Afghanistan and a modern and literate Society. So want to get funds from different Organizations and donors and follow their programs step by step by high circumstances or quality and doing excellent management. And want to give commodious distribution to women that could get a part in development of Economy and rebuild their country together with men and in other aspect make facilities for their life and not needy for cooperation of the men and others. In this way can promote and help with women and children to promote their lives and can restrain them from violence and it would be opportunity to prepare and provide a good life for themselves. Side of the civil programs we are doing translate magazines and books in most languages in all over the world.For more. Note: Now we recieve a grant of vitamins and Albendazole from Vatamin angels to be distributed in Afghanistan but we have not had an enough fund to distribute it there for we requist you to kindly provide us a fund for the distribution of a grant to children under age five and to pregnant women so I hope you will consider on my requistition. Thank and Regards.

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Major Topics

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• International Organization
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Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

•  10 Jul,2023

• A Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is a  nonprofit, voluntary citizens’ group which is organized on a local, national or international level.  NGO is a broad term encompassing a wide array of diverse organizations.
• The  World Bank   defines NGOs as “ private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services or undertake community development “.
• These organisations are  not a part of the governement , have a legal status and are registered under the specific Act ( Societies Registration Act, 1860 in India ) of the government.
• The term NGO in India denotes wide spectrum of organisations which may be non-governmental, quasi or semi governmental, voluntary or non-voluntary etc.
• NGOs are task-oriented and driven by people with a common interest. They perform a variety of services and humanitarian functions by bringing citizen concerns to Governments. NGOs advocate, monitor government policies and encourage more political participation through provision of information.
• NGOs can work for different issues such as human rights, environment or health. They are generally considered to be non-state, non-profit oriented groups who pursue purposes of public interest. In addition to providing analysis and expertise. NGOs also serve as early warning mechanisms.
• The structures of Non-Governmental Organizations vary considerably. There can be global hierarchies, with either a relatively strong central authority or a more loose federal arrangement. Alternatively, they may be based in a single country and operate transnational. With the improvement in communications more locally-based groups referred to as grass-roots organizations or community based organizations have become active at the national and global level.

Origin of Term

• The term  “ Non-Governmental Organization ” or NGO, came into existence in 1945 because of the need for the UN to differentiate in its Charter between participation rights for intergovernmental specialized agencies and those for international private organizations .

Types of NGOs

NGO can be classified on the basis of their  orientation and level of operation .

Based on Orientation

• Charitable Orientation : It involves a top-down effort with very little participation by the “beneficiaries”. It includes NGOs with activities directed toward meeting the needs of the poor -distribution of food, clothing or medicine; provision of housing, transport, schools etc. Such NGOs may also undertake relief activities during a natural or man-made disaster.
• Service Orientation :  It includes NGOs with activities such as the provision of health, family planning or education services in which the NGOs participate in the designing, implementation of programmes as well as in receiving the service.
• Participatory Orientation:  It is characterized by self-help projects where local people are involved, especially in the implementation of a project by contributing cash, tools, land, materials, labour etc. The participation begins with the need and continues into the planning and implementation stages. Cooperatives often have a participatory orientation.
• Empowering Orientation :  These NGOs aim to help poor people develop a clearer understanding of the social, political and economic factors affecting their lives. Sometimes, these groups develop spontaneously around a problem or an issue, while at other times, outside workers from NGOs play a facilitating role in their development. There is maximum involvement of the people with NGOs acting as facilitators.

Based on Level of Operation

Community-based organizations ( cbos )  arise out of people’s own initiatives. these can include sports clubs, women’s organizations, neighbourhood organizations, religious or educational organizations. there are a large variety of these some supported by ngos national, or international ngos, or bilateral or international agencies, and others independent of outside help. some are devoted to rising the consciousness of the urban poor or helping them to understand their rights in gaining access to needed services while others are involved in providing such services..

Citywide Organizations  include organizations such as the Rotary or lion’s Club, chambers of commerce and industry , coalitions of business, ethnic or educational groups and associations of community organizations. Some exist for other purposes and become involved in helping the poor as one of many activities, while others are created for the specific purpose of helping the poor.

• National NGOs  include organizations such as the Indian Red Cross , YMCAs/YWCAs, professional organizations etc. Some of these have state and city branches and assist local NGOs.
• International NGOs  range from secular agencies such as Redda Barna, Save the Children organizations , OXFAM , CARE , Ford and Rockefeller Foundations to religiously motivated groups. Their activities vary from mainly funding local NGOs, institutions and projects to implementing the projects themselves.

Need of NGOs

Two-way communication :   ngos act as a two-way communication channel i.e. upward from people to the government and downward from the government to people. upward communication involves informing government about views of local people while downward communication involves informing local people about what the government is planning and executing., self organization :  ngos enable people to work together voluntarily to promote significant social civic values. they promote local initiative and problem solving. through their work in a broad array of fields – environment, health, poverty alleviation, culture & the arts, education, etc. ngos reflect the diversity of society itself. they also help the society by empowering citizens and promoting change at the “grass roots”., representative of poor :  ngos bring social issues to the fore and thus act as a spokesperson for the poor. they adopt various means to increase awareness among people leading to more and more participation from people. thus, influencing the government decision-making on people’s behalf., improved service delivery :  with the help of ngos , government officials mingle with private individuals to find solution to various societal problems. this allows for smooth functioning due to involvement of locals at all levels i.e., from policy making to policy implementation. also, more involvement of people increases transparency and thus reduces corruption at all levels., crises management :  ngos play critical role in promoting intercommunity harmony and authorities often take their help to manage riots and hostile situations. apart from it ngos also play positive role in assisting in relief work undertaken by government during natural and man made disasters., activities undertaken by ngos                  , advocacy, analysis and awareness raising –   acting as a voice for people both on a representative and self-appointed basis; researching, analyzing and informing the public about issues; mobilizing citizen action through media campaigns and other forms of activism; and lobbying business leaders and policymakers., brokerage –  acting as an intermediary between different sectors and groups., conflict resolution –  acting as a mediator and facilitator..

• Capacity Building –  providing education, training and information.
• Delivery of services –  operational delivery of essential humanitarian, development and/or social services.

Evaluation and Monitoring –  serving as a ‘watchdog’ or third party / independent ‘auditor’, invited and uninvited, of government and corporate performance, accountability and transparency.

Contribution to good governance.

• They  act as a watchdog  for government policies and human right violations.
• They  disseminate information  to people including weaker sections of the society about their rights, responsibilities and entitlements.
• They also become  service providers  at many places where government has not been able to reach. Thus, act as a helping hand to the government.
• They  mobilize people and opinions  for or against a government policy, thus creating an environment of participative democracy. Many a times, they also become catalyst of policy innovations.
• They  increase the transparency  by bringing in the social audit of government services and accounts.

Legislations regulating the finances of NGOs

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010

• Foreign funding of voluntary organizations in India is regulated under FCRA act and is implemented by  Ministry of Home Affairs .
• The acts ensure that the recipients of foreign contributions adhere to the stated purpose for which such contribution has been obtained.
• Under the act organisations require to register themselves every five years.

Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999

• Foreign Exchange Management Act (1999) aims to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange with objective of facilitating external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.
• In 2016, the powers of Ministry of Finance to monitor NGOs were placed under the FEMA. The idea was to bring all NGOs, which receive foreign contributions, under one umbrella for better monitoring and regulations.  The step was taken to that ensure only one custodian monitors flow of foreign funds to these organisations.

Constitutional Provisions for NGOs in India

• Article 19(1)(c)  on the right to form associations;

Article 43  which highlights the State’s having an endeavor to promote cooperatives in rural areas;

• Concurrent List in Entry 28 mentions about –  Charities and charitable institutions, charitable and religious endowments and religious institutions”.

National Policy on Voluntary Sector 2007

To be covered under the Policy, VOs should broadly have the following characteristics:

• They are  private , i.e., separate from Government
• They  do not return profits  generated to their owners or directors
• They are  self-governing , i.e., not controlled by Government
• They are  registered organizations or informal groups , with defined aims and objectives.

The specific objectives of the policy are listed below:

• To create an enabling environment for VOs  that stimulates their enterprise and effectiveness, and safeguards their autonomy:
• To enable VOs to legitimately mobilize necessary financial resources  from India and abroad;
• To identify systems  by which the Government may work together with VOs, on the basis of the principles of mutual trust and respect, and with shared responsibility: and
• To encourage VOs to adopt transparent and accountable systems  of governance and management.

How Non-Governmental Organizations are diiferent from Non-Pofit Organizations

Success Stories

In recent years, Non-Governmental Organizations have chalked up many important accomplishments. They put the environment on the global agenda and pressed reluctant nation states to take it seriously. They insisted that human rights deserve universal respect and embarrassed states into greater compliance. They pressed for the rights and well-being of children, the disabled, women, indigenous peoples. They forced powerful countries to come to the table on disarmament.  Scarcely any recent progress in human wellbeing does not owe a good deal to NGOs:

• Many NGOs have worked hard to include  children with disability in schools, end caste-based stigma and discrimination, prevent child labour and promote gender equality  resulting in women receiving equal wages for the same work compared to men.
• During natural calamities they have played an active role in  relief and rehabilitation efforts, in particular, providing psycho-social care and support to the disaster affected children, women and men.
• NGOs have been instrumental in the formation and capacity building of  farmers and producers’ cooperatives and women’s self- help groups .
• NGOs have implemented the Jeevan Dhara programme for creation of wells for safe drinking water; promoted community toilets for total sanitation, and supported the public health programs on immunisation and for eliminating tuberculosis and malaria.
• NGOs have significantly influenced the development of laws and policies on several important social and developmental issues such as the right to information, juvenile justice, ending corporal punishment in schools, anti-trafficking, forests and environment, wildlife conservation, women, elderly people, people with disability, rehabilitation and resettlement of development induced displaced people to name a few.
• Akshaya patra feeds more than 12 lakh children everyday thus contributing in fight against hunger and malnutrition.
• In many of the isolated and difficult to access areas of India, people are uneducated, some don’t have livelihoods, and have poor healthcare services. Thus, Smile Foundation has been helping issues relating to healthcare, women empowerment, education, and providing livelihoods.
• Help Age India is an example of an Indian NGO who has gained recognition nationally for the efforts they have put into the aid they have provided for the elderly.

Problems and Challenges

Misappropriation of funds :  massive amount of money flows into ngos. this requires accountability and transparency in its functioning which are key for operational efficiencies. over the years, corporate sector has recognized and adopted best governance practices through appropriate channels. the ngo sector should also look to adopt best global practices for rapid and timely development of the nation., the external issue of funding :  according to government data a total of 3,068 non-governmental organizations (ngos) received foreign funding above rs. 22,000 or. in 2014-15. it is often said that foreign-funded ngos tries to propagate the foreign propaganda to stall developmental projects, example: kudankulam protest. there is a huge flow of funds into the non-government organization sector and this requires prudence and good practices to maintain accountability and transparency to the benefit of all stakeholders., non accountable, nontransparent undemocratic functioning :  cbi records filed in the supreme court show that only 10% of the total registered ngos under the societies registration act file annual financial statements, some of the local and national ngos have been found involved in malpractices and acting irresponsibly, thus undermining the credibility of civil society. it’s a huge concern and poses a great challenge to the development movement spearheaded by ngos in the country., money laundering :  corrupt or unscrupulous ngos that receive foreign funds may serve as conduits for money laundering., lack of transparency  in the functioning of a large proportion of ngos leads to aversion in donating funds for charitable causes since the general public is largely cynical about the ‘genuineness’ of the nonprofit spirit of the sector., issue of lack of trust and coordination  between public sector and non government organisations., fcra related issues :  over 1,800 ngos and academic institutes found to be violating laws like foreign contribution (regulation) act (fcra) have been banned by the government from receiving foreign funds., suggestions.

• The implementation of a strategic framework is essentially important in the management of an NGO . The endorsement of such a framework brings in professionalism and internal control mechanisms, which further makes the organization’s performance more effective.
• Developing strategies also include establishing a mechanism of consistent monitoring of whether they are being implemented and linking the results to the organization’s goals.
• There is need to bolster public confidence in the voluntary sector by opening it up to greater public scrutiny.
• The Government should encourage Central and State level agencies to introduce norms for filing basic documents in respect of NGOs, which have been receiving funding from Government agencies and placing them in the public domain (with easy access through the internet) in order to inculcate a spirit of public oversight.
• Public donation is an important source of funds for the NGO sector and one that can and must increase substantially. Tax incentives play a positive role in this process. The Government could simplify and streamline the system for granting income tax exemption status to charitable projects under the Income Tax Act.
• The Government may consider tightening administrative and penal procedures to ensure that these incentives are not misused by paper charities for private financial gain.
• The Government should encourage all relevant Central and State Government agencies to introduce pre-service and in-service training modules on constructive relations with the voluntary sector. Such agencies need to introduce time bound procedures for dealing with the voluntary organisations. These could cover registration, income tax clearances, financial assistance, etc.
• There must be a formal system for registering complaints and for redressing grievances of NGOs .
• The Government should encourage setting up of Joint Consultative Groups / Forums or Joint Machineries of government and voluntary sector representatives, by relevant Central Departments and State Governments.
• It also needs to encourage district administrations, district planning bodies, district rural development agencies, zila parishad and local governments to do so. These groups could be permanent forums with the explicit mandate to share ideas, views and information and to identify opportunities and mechanisms of working together.
• The Government also might introduce suitable mechanisms for involving a wide cross-section of the voluntary sector in these Groups/Forums.
• We are entering into an important phase where there are many targets that the government intends to achieve with the active collaboration of voluntary organisations. Therefore, it is important to conduct an effective review or report card of the National Policy with specific recommendations.
• These recommendations could become an agenda for all Voluntary Organizations, Planning Commission, state governments and national Ministries. Efforts are also needed to further disseminate the information about the policy and its intentions with small voluntary organisations as well as government functionaries.
• There is a need to solicit commitment from state governments and national ministries. A systematic intervention is also needed to get National Policy approved and adopted by the Indian Parliament. The most serious challenge faced by India today is the conflict between violent and non-violent approach of development.
• Needless to say that majority of population of India is still deprived of basic fruits of development, but rather than adopting the approach which is more inclusive and look for solutions within the constitution. India is faced by disturbances in many parts of the country. This not only hampers the development projects but also shrink the space for people’s participation to achieve their goals through peaceful means.
• The voluntary sector being present in such locations faces the challenge of delivering the services and even mobilizing people on the development agenda. The need of the hour is to work closely with each other for the benefit of the marginalized people as even today the dream of Mahatma Gandhi has not been achieved.

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English Essay on “Non – Governmental Organisations -NGO” English Essay-Paragraph-Speech for Class 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 CBSE Students and competitive Examination.

Non – Governmental Organisations -NGO

A NGO or non-governmental organization is defined as,” any international organization that is not founded by an international treaty”. NGO is a legally constituted organization, created by private persons or government. They may be totally or partially funded by government but usually maintain their non-governmental status.

It is believed that the voice of people against slavery in mid-19th century gained power and was important part of anti-slavery movement. The phrase. ‘NGO’ came into popular use with the establishment of UNO (United Nations organizations) in 1945, for a consultative role between UN and organizations.

An NGO’s main role became to hear the voice of deprived people, address their problems, take up humanitarian issues, bring aid or help, address developmental aid and sustainable development. Because of their presence main problems could be solved within a nation. But they have branches or work with other organizations to have a better reach. So their transnational networking is extensive. Apart from the term NGO, today, terms like, self helps groups, private voluntary organization and grass root organization are used.

NGOs exits and function effectively where government may not be able reach out or help in areas where government help is not possible. They are greatly involved in the welfare of disadvantaged people, encourage observance of human rights, poverty alleviation(provide the basic skills to find food and maintain themselves)and work with people displaced by natural disasters, like floods, earthquake, drought, tsunami and so on bringing them medical aid.

NGOs maintain good public relations to meet their goals. They work to mobilize support from individuals, private organizations, and local people. Mobilizing support and funds are two basic management techniques which enable an NGO to function properly also each member has the knowledge ,should be able to contribute and help in decision making process and also learn more. Some of their qualities which make them effective are-accountability, credibility and their code of conduct. The presence and important role of NGOs has increased with globalization and environment problems.

NGOs are of two types-one, which is operational-they design/plan and implement development related projects which may be community based, national and international. They work with lot of professional help and volunteers.

The second one is advocacy-these work to defend or promote a specific cause. They try to raise awareness. acceptance, and knowledge by doing press work (getting information published) and conducting activities events. E.g. most of the environmental groups which work to raise awareness about global warming and pollution of rivers.

In India NGOs must be created under a public trust act and enjoys the tax benefits and privileges. There are more than a million NGOs working in India and play a great role in providing relief and help in different parts of the country. Some of the well known and certified NGOs in India are-

• Association for Rural Development and Action Research (ARDAR).
• Child line India foundation
• Help Age India
• GandhianTrust
• National Association for the Blind.
• SankaraNetralaya

Some of the International NGOs are-

• (United Nations)
• United Nations Trauma Relief
• International RED CROSS SOCIETY
• INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
• WHO(WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION)
• WWF(WORLD WILDLIFE FUND)
• CRY(CHILD RELIEF AND YOU)
• SEVVA(SELF EMPOLYED WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION)
• 9 Action Aid
• AAH(ACTION AGAINST HUNGER)
• CAREINTERNATIONAL

NGOs work in difficult conditions (disasters: war or conflict zones) and are contributing immensely towards humanity. We on our part must contribute to them by way of help, manually or financially. We must make efforts to give a helping hand and spend some time working with them selflessly.

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Hindi Essay, English Essay, Punjabi Essay, Biography, General Knowledge, Ielts Essay, Social Issues Essay, Letter Writing in Hindi, English and Punjabi, Moral Stories in Hindi, English and Punjabi.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are organisations that are not government-run. They are often founded with the intention of promoting social or environmental justice, and they often receive funding from private donors or foundations.

This essay provides an informative overview of Non – Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and their role in society. It is interesting to learn about the various types of NGOs, such as charities, advocacy groups, and international organizations, and how they work towards achieving a common goal or addressing specific issues. The essay also highlights the importance of collaboration between different stakeholders, including governments, private sector, and civil society, to achieve

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Essay on Doctors Day in 500+ Words for School Students in English

• Updated on  
• Jul 1, 2024

National Doctors Day is celebrated in India every year on 1 July in honour of the contributions of physicians to the lives of individuals and communities. This essay on Doctors Day aims to explore the importance of the day and the crucial role they play in Indian society. 

Table of Contents

• 1 Origin and Significance of Doctors Day
• 2 The Evolving Role of Doctors in Indian Society
• 3 Celebrating Doctors Day: Ideas and Initiatives
• 4 The Future of Medicine and Doctors in India
• 5 Conclusion

Origin and Significance of Doctors Day

The roots of Doctors Day in India can be traced back to the life and legacy of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, who was an excellent physician and second chief minister of West Bengal. 

He worked actively to help the people as a doctor and a public servant. His selfless life inspires us to honor all the doctors on this auspicious day. 

The Evolving Role of Doctors in Indian Society

The role of doctors can be traced back to Indian society, which has undergone a significant transformation over the centuries. From the practising of Ayurveda by the Vaidyas to the physicians armed with allopathy and the use of new technologies, the journey of medical practice is certainly fascinating. This incredible journey further involves the study of evolution and adaptation. 

In ancient times, the healers were figured as divine figures who possessed the knowledge to cure the illness and head off the diseases. The traditional systems of medicine healing ailments such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani were deeply rooted in the cultural learnings of India. 

On entering the modern era, western medical practices spread roots and led to a mix of traditional as well as medicine. These mixed practices helped in curing the wounds and sickness of the people of India and took care of their healthcare. 

With the development of practicing medicine in society, the role of doctors has also seen a drastic change. While people respect them for their knowledge and skills, the rise of the commercialization of healthcare and some sad, occasional examples of unfortunate incidents have led to more complex relationships between doctors and patients. Some of the challenges faced by doctors in the present era are as follows:

• Loads of responsibilities for patients, which is overburden in public hospitals.
• Long working hours are seen to lead to burnout.
• The constant need to update their medical knowledge in a changing and updated environment. 
• Dealing with the rising incidents of aggression and violence by people against healthcare workers.
• Filling the gap between the urban-rural division of healthcare and quality access. 

Despite the above challenges, the doctors keep on continuing to serve the patients with dedication and are often seen going beyond their official call of duty to ensure the well-being of their patients.

Celebrating Doctors Day: Ideas and Initiatives

In India National Doctors Day is celebrated for honouring medical professionals and raising awareness about their contributions. Some other ways to celebrate the day include the following:

1. Recognition of Government: On this auspicious day, the Government of India often issues special stamps or coins. Special awards are presented to doctors who have made exceptional contributions to the field of medicine or public health.

2. Celebration in the institution: Many hospitals and medical institutions organize felicitation ceremonies, seminars, and learning workshops to celebrate the day. These events often focus on both celebrating the achievements as well as discussing the challenges faced by doctors in the medical field.

3. Initiatives by Communities: Many communities organize health camps, blood donations, and free medical checkups on this day. Doctors also volunteer their time and expertise to add value to the day.

4. Social Media Campaigns: Social media is yet another popular platform for expressing gratitude to doctors. Many hashtags like #NationalDoctorsDay trend on social media platforms with people sharing their stories of positive experiences with doctors.

The Future of Medicine and Doctors in India

Advances in telemedicine, artificial intelligence in healthcare, and personalized medicine make the future of medicine in India look promising. However, there is an urgent need to increase the number of doctors and improve health care, especially in rural areas.

Physicians have an important role to play in maintaining the health and well-being of our society. As we celebrate Doctors’ Day, let us recognize their valuable contributions and support programs that improve their working conditions and overall healthcare in India.

Ans: Doctor’s Day is celebrated on July 1st every year. The day leveraged the doctors’ hard work and dedication to keeping people healthy.

Ans: One can thank their doctor by writing a small thank note, giving a useful gift, or simply saying “thank you.” 

Ans: Doctors’ Day is important for us because it reminds us of the important role of doctors and what role do they play in our lives. It also encourages us to appreciate the efforts of doctors in caring for patients.

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Deepika Joshi is an experienced content writer with expertise in creating educational and informative content. She has a year of experience writing content for speeches, essays, NCERT, study abroad and EdTech SaaS. Her strengths lie in conducting thorough research and ananlysis to provide accurate and up-to-date information to readers. She enjoys staying updated on new skills and knowledge, particulary in education domain. In her free time, she loves to read articles, and blogs with related to her field to further expand her expertise. In personal life, she loves creative writing and aspire to connect with innovative people who have fresh ideas to offer.

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NEET PG exam in August, question paper to be finalised hours prior: Sources

A significant meeting was recently held in the i4c wing of the home ministry concerning the neet pg exam. this meeting, involving officials from the cyber cell, was crucial in the lead-up to the announcement of the exam date..

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• NEET PG exam questions will be finalised hours before the exam for security
• Government agencies are identifying and addressing potential loopholes
• NEET PG exam date to be announced soon; exams likely in August

A significant meeting was held in the I4C wing of the Home Ministry with Cyber Cell officials to discuss the NEET PG exam. The question paper will be prepared just a few hours before the exam to ensure security. Various government agencies are evaluating potential loopholes, and the investigation is nearly complete. The exam date will be announced soon, with the exam likely to be conducted within a month.

The revised date for the NEET PG exam is expected to be announced by the end of this week, with the exams likely to be conducted in August.

The exam conducting process has been entrusted to an Expert Panel headed by Dr Radhakrishnan, a former ISRO official. The National Board of Examinations (NBE), responsible for conducting NEET PG, is currently awaiting approval from this review panel before finalising the new dates.

KEY UPDATES ON NEET PG EXAM 2024

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India Wins Cricket World Cup, Sealing Its Domination of the Sport

In India, cricket has become immensely profitable and a destination for the world’s best players. But a tournament victory had eluded it for many years.

By Mujib Mashal

Reporting from New Delhi

India won the men’s Cricket World Cup on Saturday, defeating South Africa to end a dry spell in tournament victories that had lasted over a decade, even as the nation was dominating the sport globally in other measures like talent, cash and influence.

The tournament was played across several Caribbean islands, with a few of the matches hosted in the United States, including at a pop-up stadium in New York. When the final, in Barbados, ended with India declared the champion, it was close to midnight back home, where joyful crowds poured into the streets across several cities.

“Maybe in a couple hours it will sink in, but it is a great feeling,” said Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, who took a tour of the stadium with his daughter propped on his shoulders to thank the crowd. “To cross the line — it feels great for everyone.”

It was a closely fought match, and a deeply emotional one for India, in part because many of its senior players, including Sharma, 37, were near the end of their careers. India last won the World Cup in T20, the shortest format of cricket, in 2007, when Sharma was just getting started. The top prize had also evaded Virat Kohli, 35, one of cricket’s most recognized icons. Rahul Dravid, India’s coach, had never won a World Cup during his long and illustrious career as a player.

All three men ended the night on a happy note, with Sharma and Kohli announcing their retirement from the fast-paced short form of the game. Dravid, who finished his stint as India’s coach, is normally a quiet, stoic presence. But after the win, he was screaming and celebrating.

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Jude Bellingham Brilliance Papers Over Cracks In England's Euro 2024 Case

Another embarrassing exit for english football at a major tournament was looming in gelsenkirchen until bellingham's acrobatic effort in the 95th minute broke slovak hearts..

England's quest to end 58 years of hurt at Euro 2024 remains alive thanks to one moment of Jude Bellingham brilliance, but the Three Lions failed to look like future European champions in sneaking past Slovakia 2-1. Another embarrassing exit for English football at a major tournament was looming in Gelsenkirchen until Bellingham's acrobatic effort in the 95th minute broke Slovak hearts. A minute into extra-time, Harry Kane then completed the comeback to set up a meeting with Switzerland on Saturday in the quarter-finals.

However, any excitement among the England fan base at ending up on the perceived weaker side of the draw was drained away by another turgid performance from Gareth Southgate's men.

England arrived in Germany hyped as pre-tournament favourites thanks to a squad stacked with attacking talent.

Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona insisted on the eve of the game that Southgate is working with "the best squad at the Euros".

But a team featuring the Bundesliga's top scorer Kane, the Premier League's player of the year Phil Foden and a recently crowned Champions League winner in Bellingham has been laboured in possession and easy to defend against.

Until Bellingham's late intervention, England had scored just two goals in four games, while the deficiencies of a makeshift back line were also exploited by Slovakia early on.

The side ranked 45th in the world had already spurned two big chances before Ivan Schranz strolled through the heart of the England defence to slot home his third goal of the tournament on 25 minutes.

England fans dominated all but a small section of the 50,000 capacity AufSchalke Arena and made their disillusionment heard as boos greeted the half-time whistle.

Southgate's men marginally improved after the break but bar a header Kane sent wide from a free-kick and a Declan Rice shot from distance that came back off the post, they had created little as Slovakia sat deep to defend their lead.

After a 0-0 draw against Slovenia that had guaranteed top spot in Group C, Southgate had bemoaned an "unusual atmosphere" as he was pelted with empty beer cups by disgruntled supporters.

'Scoring goals is my release'

The England manager and his players were braced for an even more severe outpouring of rage until Bellingham produced a moment of brilliance that allowed him to answer his critics after two underwhelming performances against Denmark and Slovenia.

"Playing for England, it's a lot of pleasure but you also hear a lot of people talk a lot of rubbish. It's nice when you deliver you can give them a little bit back," said the Real Madrid star of his goal celebration.

"For me playing football, being on the pitch, scoring goals is my release and it's maybe a message to a few people."

Southgate was more understanding of the wave of criticism that is still set to come his side's way before they face the Swiss in Duesseldorf.

"We're putting a plaster over things and giving young players opportunities," said Southgate.

"We're somehow finding a way. I can imagine how everyone is going to react even though we've won but we are still in there. The one thing that cannot be questioned is the desire, the commitment, the character."

The spotlight is on Southgate to find a solution over the next six days to avoid failing again to deliver major tournament glory at his fourth attempt.

Switzerland made light work of beating holders Italy 2-0 on Saturday and are a significant step-up in quality from Slovakia.

The England boss hailed the impact of his substitutes. 

Eberechi Eze and Ivan Toney played a part in Kane's winning goal, while Cole Palmer added some thrust from midfield.

However, the fact it took 66 minutes for Southgate to make any changes and his stubbornness in starting 10 of the same 11 in all four games so far has left his judgement open to question.

Bellingham's intervention ensures Southgate will take charge of his country for the 100th time in the quarter-finals.

But England will need to be much improved if he is to stay in his job beyond the century mark.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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