India witnessing NGO boom, there is 1 for every 600 people Dhananjay Mahapatra,TNN

[prasad1]

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For a country which till recently had a weak civil society movement, India is now witnessing a boom in the NGO sector. With a population of 1.2 billion, the country could well be the land of opportunities for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the Central Bureau of Investigation conservatively estimating 20 lakh of them already operating in states and union territories.

But there is an accountability deficit among the NGOs. And that's how CBI got into the picture as the Supreme Court responded to a PIL. Many don't submit details of receipt of grant and spending to income tax authorities, the CBI told the apex court.


On the SC's order, the CBI sought information from the states and UTs about operation of NGOs and status of audit of their funds. Major states — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh — have provided no data about the number of NGOs operating in their territory.

 

[krish44]

For a country which till recently had a weak civil society movement, India is now witnessing a boom in the NGO sector. With a population of 1.2 billion, the country could well be the land of opportunities for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the Central Bureau of Investigation conservatively estimating 20 lakh of them already operating in states and union territories.

But there is an accountability deficit among the NGOs. And that's how CBI got into the picture as the Supreme Court responded to a PIL. Many don't submit details of receipt of grant and spending to income tax authorities, the CBI told the apex court.


On the SC's order, the CBI sought information from the states and UTs about operation of NGOs and status of audit of their funds. Major states — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh — have provided no data about the number of NGOs operating in their territory.

Prasad ji
NGOS are big business
This is a business head on which upper middle class and rich besides politicians kin,retd bureaucrats, elitist ladies thrive. all one needs to do is identify a social or worthy cause and create a web site to produce a neat write up and get it registered with govt and international agencies. use contacts to politicians and working bureaucrats to get local funding . international agencies and private individuals dole out assistance depending on the attractiveness of the cause. Poverty, treatment of dalits,minorities,gender issues,treatment of lgbt,animals and research studies for environment,finance ,studentissues,health related-aids,public health etcfind ready donors. all you need to do later is to employ a couple or more committed college ,just out of college kids and produce a report of sorts to satisfy the agency funding you. most do not submit accounts or produce dubious accounts if it is to be given to govts. . this is large scale money making for the well off plus prestige in social circles that you have a NGO . cbi can do precious little as it is patronised by politicians who are powerful. IT is just a nuisance and can always be squared up by a smart chartered accountant.PIL is by those denied the patronage

 

[V.Balasubramani]

Sir,

While there are NGOs doing useful service to the society, most of the NGOs start with good aim, but don’t function as such when they grow. There is corruption at all levels.


These NGOs avail the benefits offered by the Government and also from the individual donors.


There is no transparency in the accounts and also in their activities.

IMHO there is no proper checking of functioning of such NGOs which have vested interest where the principles of service to the society is pushed to the back seat.

It is obvious that the growing number of NGOs goes without saying that it is becoming a very lucrative business too.

 

[Naina_Marbus]

Everyone wants financial autonomy!

The following post may not have any direct bearing to NGOs, but when it comes to handling finances, every one from Nobel Laureate on down expects financial autonomy in their dealings.

The Nalanda International University is coming up in Bihar following an initiative of the Indian government and the 18 East Asia Summit(EAS) countries, about 12 km from the ruins of its ancient namesake that was the meeting point of thousands of scholars and thinkers from across the world till the 12th century.

Government of India constituted a Governing Board for the Nalanda University in 2010,under the Chairmanship of Amartya Sen to examine the framework of international co-operation, and propose the structure of partnership, which would govern the establishment of this University as an international centre of education.

The board has representatives from Singapore, China, Japan and Thailand. Amartya Sen was appointed the first chancellor of the University. He is also the chairman of the governing body.

The Governing Board of Nalanda University consists of:

Amartya Sen – Professor at Harvard University.
Sugata Bose – Professor at Harvard University.
Wang Bangwei – Professor at Peking University.
Wang Gungwu – Professor at National University of Singapore.
Susumu Nakanishi – Professor at Kyoto City University of Arts.
Meghnad Desai – Emeritus Professor at London School of Economics.
Prapod Assavavirulhakarn – Professor at Chulalongkorn University.
George Yeo – Former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore.
Tansen Sen – Associate Professor at Baruch College, CUNY.
Nand Kishore Singh – Member of Parliament – Rajya Sabha, India.
Chandan Hareram Kharwar – Pune university – India.

According to Financial Express, the project has run into trouble with Chancellor Amartya Sen reportedly threatening to resign after the finance ministry raised pointed queries on the financial management of this mega revival plan.

At its crux is a massive Rs. 2,727 crore financial support package to the university over a period of 12 years. The finance ministry’s Department of Expenditure has asked the Ministry of External Affairs, the nodal ministry for the project, the reasons why government rules should not apply to the project.

The university is yet to begin functioning fully, and its campus is still under construction in Rajgir. It has a small office in Delhi for the vice-chancellor and faculty members and aims to start its academic session this year (2014).

The provocation for the crisis? The huge expenditure being incurred on maintaining the governing body of the university, as well as the tax-free salaries to the tune of $80,000 dollars per year to some of the top functionaries of the university.

Faculty salary packages range around $50,000-55,000 per year.

Upset by these queries, Sen - who is part of the 12-member governing body - reportedy conveyed to the MEA at the highest levels that he would resign if such objections were not opposed and quashed.

He is learnt to have given a similar message to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Planning Commission.
The government is believed to be looking at some of the amendments to the Nalanda University Act that could possibly grant full financial autonomy and also a permanent tenure to the university top brass.

The university’s argument has been that full autonomy must mean complete financial independence. But since the government is putting much of the money, the finance ministry feels there has to be oversight and accountability - a view that has takers even in the MEA.

As per the latest report, Amartya Sen dismissed reports that he had threatened to quit as the revived Nalanda University’s chancellor, but said a bureaucrat’s suggestion that it be treated like a central varsity would be a ‘complete betrayal’ of the Asian signatories and Indian parliament.

“It would be a complete betrayal of the Indian people who have told that we are building up an international university in the mode of Nalanda in the past,” Sen told media persons. “The Nalanda University Act also says it’s an international university,” noted Sen.

China has already committed $1 million for the project, Singapore has pledged $5-6 million and Australia about $1 million Australian dollars. All the funds have been committed on a voluntary basis. MoUs were signed with Australia, Cambodia, Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, Laos and Myanmar. India signed the MoU with China during the prime-minster’s visit to Beijing in November.

“Nine countries signed up…five of them have already committed money to Nalanda. We are very keen on financial accounting even by CAG…but to say that we must follow the rules of the central universities is ridiculous,” Sen said.

 

[கால பைரவன்]

Amartya Sen is the quintessential Socialist! Isn't he?

 

[prasad1]

Amartya Sen may be a good economist.
But he is an autocrat, a typical communist may have high ideals but totally impractical, with a huge ego to boot.

 

[krish44]

A Sen openly came out in support of AAP. . so I do not mind his autocratic communist leanings.
at a personal level he is not a communist . he would like to vote thosands of dollars as renumeration for himself and his colleagues in Nalanda univ. for Nalanda they have collected lot of money keeping the bureaucrats away and would not like to share the booty with them. sooner or later govt will move in and plant the civil services and politician crowd there.

 

[கால பைரவன்]

sooner or later govt will move in and plant the civil services and politician crowd there.

or the civil "society" crowd to which AS already belongs!!

 

[zebra16]

Prasad ji
NGOS are big business
This is a business head on which upper middle class and rich besides politicians kin,retd bureaucrats, elitist ladies thrive. all one needs to do is identify a social or worthy cause and create a web site to produce a neat write up and get it registered with govt and international agencies. use contacts to politicians and working bureaucrats to get local funding . international agencies and private individuals dole out assistance depending on the attractiveness of the cause. Poverty, treatment of dalits,minorities,gender issues,treatment of lgbt,animals and research studies for environment,finance ,studentissues,health related-aids,public health etcfind ready donors. all you need to do later is to employ a couple or more committed college ,just out of college kids and produce a report of sorts to satisfy the agency funding you. most do not submit accounts or produce dubious accounts if it is to be given to govts. . this is large scale money making for the well off plus prestige in social circles that you have a NGO . cbi can do precious little as it is patronised by politicians who are powerful. IT is just a nuisance and can always be squared up by a smart chartered accountant.PIL is by those denied the patronage/

Liked the highlighted portion of the message immensely.

I think special High Courts and special benches of Supreme Court are around the corner just to dispose off these PILs so that High Courts and Supreme Court can be freed to attend to normal judicial functions !!