Indian NGOs san Borders

The 20 million NGOs in India often create controversies than development news. At the thick of controversy is the funding pattern. Most of the religious NGOs are accused of receiving funds from abroad for converting people into their religion. Some of the NGOs are suspected to be terror aiding organizations. With the steady growth of these NGOs government is duty bound to investigate into the funds. At the root of the problem is the same as in the other areas of Indian governance. People are willing to sell anything for few thousands. NGOs are one of the potential sector where anyone can penetrate to explode the nation.

Foreign Hand in NGOs

Top 5 Contributors in 2006-07 (Rs.Cr)

US 2,971

Germany 1,648

UK 1,425

Switzerland 605

Italy 488

To recipients in 2006-07 (Rs.cr)

Tamil Nadu 2,244

Delhi 2,187

Andra Pradesh 1,211

Maharastra 1,195

Karnataka 1,077

Total foreign contribution

Rs.12,290 cr in 2006-07, up

56% from Rs.7,878 cr in 2005-06

Contributions from Pakistan

Rs.43 lakh in 2004-05; Rs 72 lakh in 2005-06 and Rs.22 lakh in 2006-07

Source: The Times of India, 24.12.2008, p.1

Apart from conversions, terrorism, NGOs can be used by the external forces to pull the nation on the human rights front. Some of the vocal NGO leaders on and often human rights abuse but they themselves violate the basic human rights. All the talk of the NGO leaders is for the public consumption and for publicity purposes. There are only handfuls of NGO leaders who are sincerely involved in serving the society. To save the crucial pillar of the society it is important to perform checks and balances regularly. Those who are given the auditing and investigating tasks should be clean. Sending corrupt investigators will not serve any purpose.

Even the private auditing and benchmarking agencies which have global acclamation are highly corrupt. The Indian government inorder to clean the NGO sector asked international agencies to benchmark organizations on the basis of its accountability and performance. But our Indian NGOs which are experts in bribing bought those benchmarkers. Sadly those highly corrupt NGOs have become the bull-eyed boys of the government and international funders. One has to wait for the golden day to put a fullstop to the forgeries staged in the name of social service.