NGOs under the Scan
AFTER thorough investigation, Home Ministry has prepared a list of 103 NGOs involved in anti national activities or funding of terrorists or are engaged in illegal conversion. The Ministry has handed over the list to Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further investigation.
ACCORDING to Government of India, there are about 30 lakh NGOs in the country out of which about 40,000 seek foreign funds under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) about half of which do not fulfil their obligations under the Act, i.e. either not revealing their sources of funds or not submitting proper audited accounts or diverting their funds for unspecified purposes. Of these only 103 have been listed for further investigations. Why not others?
NGO sector has witnessed a boom in the years of globalisation. It has almost become an industry. These days, it has become a status symbol to form an NGO or to be associated with an NGO of some repute. It was not the case previously.
A REPORT from the US clearly states that some NGOs there collect funds to be sent to India for conversion so much so that the funds sent clearly spell out the region and the districts where these have to be utilised. The government is aware but can not afford to annoy the christian world. Otherwise, christian intellectuals in India claim that christian population here is on the decline. They forget to mention that the Church maintains a separate list of scheduled caste people converted to Christianity but maintains a separate register for them under the head of affiliated Christians. These affiliated Christians are not counted as such. Anyway.
THERE are many many good NGOs working at the grass root level but because of unscruplous big fish, get the bad name. The government should immediately come out with their list and keep a watch on others as 103 is too small a figure for such dishonest NGOs.
ACCORDING to Government of India, there are about 30 lakh NGOs in the country out of which about 40,000 seek foreign funds under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) about half of which do not fulfil their obligations under the Act, i.e. either not revealing their sources of funds or not submitting proper audited accounts or diverting their funds for unspecified purposes. Of these only 103 have been listed for further investigations. Why not others?
NGO sector has witnessed a boom in the years of globalisation. It has almost become an industry. These days, it has become a status symbol to form an NGO or to be associated with an NGO of some repute. It was not the case previously.
A REPORT from the US clearly states that some NGOs there collect funds to be sent to India for conversion so much so that the funds sent clearly spell out the region and the districts where these have to be utilised. The government is aware but can not afford to annoy the christian world. Otherwise, christian intellectuals in India claim that christian population here is on the decline. They forget to mention that the Church maintains a separate list of scheduled caste people converted to Christianity but maintains a separate register for them under the head of affiliated Christians. These affiliated Christians are not counted as such. Anyway.
THERE are many many good NGOs working at the grass root level but because of unscruplous big fish, get the bad name. The government should immediately come out with their list and keep a watch on others as 103 is too small a figure for such dishonest NGOs.
NGOs should also come under the scanner of any of the Lokpal institutes envisaged and also under the ambit of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, to check any mis-appropriations.
ReplyDeleteWith 33 Lakh NGOs, that's one NGO for every 400 persons, better than any other institute-people ratio (be it doctors, police or schools), NGOs have the potential to drive almost all the social developmental policies, given the right balance of checks and directions.
May be it is time to replace Planning Commission with a bunch of NGOs.