NGOs Battle Lack of Funds

Dr Rajesh Tandon

President, Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)

 

Recently Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that agitations in India were being powered by foreign money. Not only is the statement ridiculous, but I’m also very aggrieved by it. True, money can be pumped into agitations by vested interests and such funding can carry on for some time. But to get a lasting solution to any problem for which people are agitating, the public must participate fully and wholeheartedly. There are agitations and unrest in different parts of the country over the control of natural resources and other issues. When common people are struggling for their rights, social organisations just can’t look the other way. But there are limits to their contribution. They can only assist in some ways, primarily research and preparing ground reports on the prevailing situation and suggesting possible solutions. But social organisations can’t bring about revolutions. Moreover, a large chunk of the money coming from foreign sources goes into religious organisations and the NGOs working for social causes and development get a very small part of it. 

 

The NGOs in the country are going through a rather rough phase and are faced with myriads challenges and hurdles. While the huge economic progress that the country has made in the last two decades has changed the global perception of India, it is also true that this has shifted the focus of foreign aid from the country. With Indian MNCs doing well for themselves and acquiring foreign companies, many sources of financial aid abroad feel that India does not need the aid any longer. But the reality is that a majority of India remains devoid of the benefits of this economic growth, which looks impressive on the surface. 

 

Under these circumstances, while the troubles of the common people remain constant, the aid that was forthcoming previously for the alleviation of these problems is drying up. Further, with the entry of private players into fundamental services like healthcare and education via private public partnerships (PPP), government help has been drastically reduced in these areas. Instead of giving them aid, the government is treating them like profit making companies, going to the extent of inviting tenders for developmental works. Given these difficult circumstances, NGOs are hard pressed to find funds to carry on their work. 

 

The lack of funds has given rise to a number of other problems. There is now a sense of competition among various organisations. Previously, there was healthy and free exchange of information, ideas, research and innovation among NGOs. Now most of them tend to hide information from one another. Also, due to financial constraints, it’s getting difficult to find dedicated workers. This is partly due to the negative image of NGOs which is being projected by many. Some are even accusing NGOs of being anti-development. The PM’s comments have further clouded the real picture.

In order to survive, NGOs will have to forge better relations with their benefactors even as they look for new sources of financial help. They also need to win back the trust of the middle class, attract youth to participate, and also stress on their intellectual development. And more importantly, NGOs will have to strengthen their mutual communication so that they are able to come on a single platform for a particular cause and rebut the attacks on their credentials. As they say, unity is strength.

 

The corporates too, want a law abiding and organised society. They are also spending heavily by way of corporate social responsibility. We have to get into dialogues with business associations like CII and FICCI to remove the prevailing misconceptions about NGOs. 

 

For better penetration into the middle class (as also the youth), there also has to be greater integration with the local media, lawyers, young politicians, social workers, professors and other important members of the society. This will help spread awareness about our work. We also need to concentrate on further honing the capabilities of our comrades as well as increase the impact that our work has on society. NGOs also need to act as pressure groups that can make government reconsider its policies if they are not in the larger interest of the people and the nation. 

In conclusion, I would like to say that in this age of privatisation, we have to put forward our view of development in front of the corporate sector. The society needs NGOs. Therefore, instead of maligning them to hide their own shortcomings, the authorities should come forward and support them in their missions. 

 

(Views expressed by the author are personal)