Any organization which is not part of the
government is an NGO. In the absence of adequate infrastructure, NGOs in India have been working at the grassroots as well as at the national level. A conflict of objectives between NGOs and the government has led to tensions.
There are signs of paranoia among Indian politicians, especially as some NGOs are in a position to influence
local elections. The NGO apex body has asked its member
organizations not to take part in elections, as their role of should be limited to supporting independent activists and educating the electorate.
Some local
politicians want the Union government to route all NGO grants through the state government. Yet other politicians want to check the source of foreign donations received by NGOs. There is no denying the fact that many local politicians resent the growing influence of NGOs. Insecure politicians have often joined hands with business interests to indulge in NGO-bashing. In this, they have the tacit support of the administration as well.
The National Human Rights Commission is looking into specific instances of NGO-bashing, as it is important for ordinary citizens and social activists to be able to voice dissent in this country, without any sort of threat of retribution. And even if some NGOs are indulging in wrongful activities, all NGOs should not be unfairly targeted.
In the defense of the NGOs, it should be noted that vast resources are flowing to fundamentalist and terrorist groups, largely through smuggling and hawala routes, and the government does not seem to be unduly bothered. It seems that our bureaucrats have problems in differentiating between genuine NGOs and front organizations of insurgents and fundamentalists.
However, there is some validity in the argument that as NGOs demand accountability and transparency from everybody else, they must at least be transparent in their own working…
And, given the increase in funding from the government and other sources, many new NGOs have sprung up, not all of which display vision and commitment. In fact, many relatives of politicians and
corrupt officials have also launched NGOs of dubious status to avail themselves of government funds! Another valid objection is that organizations enjoying
tax exemptions should not carry on businesses that are not integral to their charitable objectives.
During the nineties, NGOs have become involved in many rural development programs in partnership with the government. But government funding has its own problems. Finding the right NGO for a program is one problem. Assessing its capabilities is another. Lastly, there is little or no follow-up of government funded NGO projects. Often, official documents do not indicate the likely impact of government funded projects on people and livelihoods.
Hospitals, educational institutions and charitable trusts are given specific tax exemptions. However, there is another aspect to the
problem - eager to avail themselves of tax benefits, many business houses are also floating trusts that may be violating income tax norms under the Income Tax Act. In fact, this is a legal loophole, as this practice is quite common.
Perhaps, the real problem is that the Indian government does not know how to deal with NGOs. On the one hand, it encourages them; and on the other it hampers them by interfering in their work, and by introducing bureaucratic controls. Promoting mutual trust between NGOs and the government is important. Needless to say, a corrupt system will breed corrupt NGOs as well…
More summaries about the Article: The power game