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Country Context History of NGO Activity in India

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Country Context History of NGO Activity in India CIVIL SOCIETY BRIEFS OVERVIEW OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS INDIA Country Context History of NGO Activity in India India is located in South Asia, bordering Bangladesh, India has a long history of civil society based on the Bhutan, the People’s Republic of China, Myanmar, concepts of daana (giving) and seva (service). Voluntary Nepal, and Pakistan. The Indian peninsula lies east of organizations3—organizations that are voluntary in the Arabian Sea, north of the Indian Ocean, and west spirit and without profit-making objectives—were of the Bay of Bengal. The capital of India is New Delhi. active in cultural promotion, education, health, and The country declared independence from the United natural disaster relief as early as the medieval era. They Kingdom on 15 August 1947. proliferated during British rule, working to improve social welfare and literacy and pursuing relief projects.4 India is a federal republic. The bicameral sansad (parliament) is made up of the raiya sabha (council During the second half of the 19th century, nationalist of states) and the lok sabha (people’s assembly). consciousness spread across India and self-help emerged The president of India is the head of state, chosen by as the primary focus of sociopolitical movements. an electoral college for a term of 5 years. The prime Numerous organizations were established during this minister is appointed by the president and is typically period, including the Friend-in-Need Society (1858), supported by the party or coalition of parties controlling Prathana Samaj (1864), Satya Shodhan Samaj the largest number of seats in the lok sabha. (1873), Arya Samaj (1875), the National Council for Women in India (1875), and the Indian National India has more than 1.1 billion inhabitants, making Conference (1887). it the world’s second most populous country and the largest democracy. Hindi, the country’s official The Societies Registration Act (SRA) was approved language, is the native tongue of about 3 in 10 Indians. in 1860 to confirm the legal status of the growing English, a subsidiary official language, is widely used for body of nongovernment organizations (NGOs). The national, political, and commercial communication. The SRA continues to be relevant legislation for NGOs in Constitution of India recognizes 22 languages.1 India, although most state governments have enacted amendments to the original version. India is a highly populated and predominantly rural country. It is classified as a country of medium human Christian missionaries active in India at this time directed development, ranked 128th in the United Nations their efforts toward reducing poverty and constructing Development Programme’s Human Development Index hospitals, schools, roads, and other infrastructure. 2007. Life expectancy is 63.7 years at birth, and Meanwhile, NGOs focused their efforts on education, four fifths of the population lives on less than $2/day. health, relief, and social welfare. A firm foundation for The adult literacy rate is 61%.2 secular voluntary action in India was not laid until the Servants of India, a secular NGO, was established in governmental development agencies were established 1905. around this time, such as the People’s Action for Development of India. Foreign-trained Indians Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India in 1916 shifted entered civil society in greater numbers, leading to a the focus of development activities to economic self- professionalization of the sector. sufficiency. His Swadeshi movement, which advocated economic self-sufficiency through small-scale local India witnessed a rapid increase in and diversification of production, swept through the country. Gandhi the NGO sector as a response to the national political identified the root of India’s problem as the poverty of scenario and increasing concern about poverty and the rural masses and held that the only way to bring marginalization. Both welfare and empowerment- the nation to prosperity was to develop the villages’ oriented organizations emerged during this period, and self-reliance based on locally available resources. He development, civil liberties, education, environment, also believed that voluntary action, decentralized to health, and livelihood all became the focus of attention. gram panchayats (village councils), was the ideal way to With community participation as a defined component stimulate India’s development. Gandhi reinvigorated civil in a number of social sector projects during the 1970s society in India by stressing that political freedom must and 1980s, NGOs began to be formally recognized be accompanied by social responsibility. as development partners of the state. Their work was increasingly characterized by grassroots interventions, After independence, the Government of India increased advocacy at various levels, and mobilization of the its presence in social welfare and development but marginalized to protect their rights. recognized the potential for civil society to supplement and complement its efforts. The first Five-Year Plan The process of structural adjustment begun in the early stated, “Any plan for social and economic regeneration 1990s—and the more recent approach of bilateral and should take into account the services rendered by these international donors channeling funds directly through agencies and the state should give them maximum the government, NGO networks, and large corporate cooperation in strengthening their efforts.” NGOs—have somewhat pushed peoples’ organizations into the background. Small, spontaneous initiatives The Central Social Welfare Board was established in at the community level, as a response to social and 1953 to promote social welfare activities and support economic exploitations at the community level, are no people’s participation programs through NGOs. This longer the hallmark of the NGO sector. additional funding and recognition led to a growing body of professional NGOs. The Government of India decentralized development activities throughout the NGOs Today 1950s. The establishment of the National Community Development Program and the National Extension Today, about 1.5 million NGOs work in India (i.e., Service were early steps in this direction. Further nonprofit, voluntary citizens’ groups organized on a decentralization was achieved with the introduction local, national, or international level). This includes of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system in 1958. Many temples, churches, mosques, gurudwaras (Sikh place of farmers unions and agricultural cooperatives were workshop), sports associations, hospitals, educational founded around this time, and networking became institutions, and ganeshotsav mandals (temporary more commonplace in civil society. In 1958, the structures set up to house Ganesh festival celebrations). Association for Voluntary Agencies for Rural Most NGOs in India are small and dependent on Development (AVARD) was founded as a consortium volunteers. According to a survey conducted by Society of major voluntary agencies. for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 73.4% of NGOs have one or no paid staff, although across International NGOs entered India in significant numbers the country, more than 19 million persons work as to provide drought relief during two consecutive volunteers or paid staff at an NGO.5 agricultural seasons, 1965–1966 and 1966–1967. Many of them established permanent local operations The PRIA survey also reveals that 26.5% of NGOs are thereafter. Moreover, foreign funds began flowing to engaged in religious activities, while 21.3% work in the domestic NGOs in India, changing the character of civil area of community and/or social service. About one in society once more. five NGOs works in education, while 17.9% are active in the fields of sports and culture. Only 6.6% work in the During the 1970s the government pursued a “minimum health sector.6 needs” program, focusing on the basic impediments to improving the quality of life for the rural poor, such The Indian Centre for Philanthropy, the Center as education, electrical power, and health. Several for Advancement of Philanthropy, Charities Aid Foundation (India), National Foundation for 2. Section 35AC allows contributions to be 100% India, and the Society for Service to Voluntary deductible. However its application is specific to Organizations are among the nonprofit organizations projects, generally research projects, rather than that provide information resources, services, and to organizations. To benefit under this section, networking opportunities to NGOs. the recipient organization must typically be implementing the project itself. Approval must The Credibility Alliance is an initiative by a group be sought from the National Committee for of NGOs committed to enhancing accountability and Promotion of Social and Economic Welfare transparency in the voluntary sector through good based in New Delhi. Donations to government governance. Credibility Alliance was registered in May development agencies, such as the Integrated 2004 as an independent, not-for-profit organization Rural Development Program are 100% after 2 years of extensive consultation with thousands deductible under this section. of NGOs in India. Credibility Alliance operates as a 3. Section 35 (I to III) provides for a similar 100% standards-setting body, and aims to build trust among exemption for donations to approved scientific all the stakeholders. Its members include nearly research associations such as universities, 600 organizations. colleges, or other institutions for
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