Voluntarism and NGOs CHAPTER 13 Voluntarism and NGOs Introduction necessarily coterminous, tend to have overlapping A dynamic civil society in an elected, participatory objectives and many grassroots CSOs have their democracy such as India, ensures that there is a origins in the ground-breaking work of NGOs. In strong and vocal constituency for public fi nancing this sense, NGOs have strengthened civil society. and provisioning of basic social services. It also is the best safeguard against bad governance, The sheer diversity of NGO activity is testimony to ineffi cient service delivery and the hierarchical the range, professionalism and expertise of these structures of decision-making that result in delays organisations. NGOs have been instrumental and red tape. At the same time, civil societies in the provision of healthcare, literacy, poverty are often fragmented and stratifi ed into ‘haves’ alleviation through sustainable development, and ‘have-nots’ on the basis of income, gender rehabilitation, women’s rights, engendered Unlike the public sector, and caste, resulting in disparities in access to human development programmes, environmental which is often accused public resources and services. The poor and the protection, HIV/AIDS support programmes, of ineffi ciency and non- marginalised lack the ability to give voice to their agriculture extension services, to name a few. They concerns. Empowering the voiceless and giving supplement government services in a signifi cant responsive behaviour, or visibility to the ‘invisible’ therefore, are signifi cant way although their methodology is different. the private sector which, aspects of the process of building strong civil driven by profi t, prices society organisations (CSOs) and forms a part The chapter acknowledges the strengths that NGOs itself out of the reach of of the agenda of many non-governmental bring to their work in diverse sectors and analyses the poor, the voluntary organisations (NGOs). Civil society organisations their contributions to human development in the are community based organisations and include state. At the same time, the constraints on NGO sector is perceived to be labour unions, NGOs, people’s groups, foundations actions are also briefl y examined. motivated by altruism, and religion-based groups. making it a suitable Voluntarism, which has its roots in altruism, catalyst for promoting the Unlike the public sector, which is often accused has a long tradition in India, and particularly in of ineffi ciency and non-responsive behaviour, or Karnataka. The roots of voluntarism are two-fold: sustainable development the private sector which, driven by profi t, prices religion and the freedom movement. Karnataka of the poor in rural areas; itself out of the reach of the poor, the voluntary has the classic example of Sri Basaveswara: an agency capable of sector is perceived to be motivated by altruism, born in 1131 AD, a very great social reformer, giving voice to the needs making it a suitable catalyst for promoting the who at the age of 16, rejected untouchability and aspirations of people sustainable development of the poor in rural and the rigid rituals that widows were forced to areas; an agency capable of giving voice to the follow; and promoted, with vigour, equal rights for and enabling the growth needs and aspirations of people and enabling the women and a casteless society. Although many of of local participatory growth of local participatory mechanisms for self- the voluntary institutions devoted to social service mechanisms for self- empowerment. This chapter will look at the role in Karnataka emerged from religion, they created empowerment. of NGOs in human development from several a distinct space for themselves and adopted a perspectives, viz. (i) while the poor continue to professional approach to developmental issues. be overwhelmingly dependent on public social However, the degree of institutional space between services, NGOs have begun to emerge as key the organisations devoted to social service and players in various human development sectors, the formal religious establishment from which thereby supplementing public efforts, (ii) NGO- they originate differs. In some institutions, for driven initiatives often bring a more participatory example, the religious head is also the head of and empowering focus to development, the social service institution, while in others, the (iii) NGOs and civil society organisations, while not social service organisation is more autonomous. 279 Voluntarism and NGOs The degree of space between the religious which are also membership institutions but establishment and the social service institution whose members are from the ‘targeted sections’ shapes the social and development strategies that of development interventions and a majority are the latter selects as its mission. poor. Many NGOs are involved in building these community based institutions. The other major source of voluntarism was the freedom movement, and Mahatma Gandhi in The plan documents, even the Seventh Plan, do not particular. There are hundreds of organisations in use the term ‘NGO’. The Tenth Plan is the exception. Karnataka, which originated during the freedom The earlier Plans used terms like ‘people’s movement and continue to do constructive work in participation’ (Sixth Plan), ‘voluntary agencies’ communities, addressing issues like Dalit welfare, (Seventh Plan), ‘voluntary sector/organisation’ illiteracy and poverty. The inspirational basis for (Eighth, Ninth Plans). The focus, therefore, is on most of them is Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy the broader portfolio of institutions described rather than any religion. above, which fall more comfortably under the umbrella of Civil Society Organisations rather than The Central Government and NGOs in the commonly understood sense. This NGOs focus on ‘voluntary’ rather than ‘non-government’ The Government of Karnataka’s approach to is part of the long tradition of voluntarism in the The recognition of the voluntary agencies is conditioned very much by country. Many voluntary organisations received role of voluntary agencies the position taken by the Central Government, grants from the Central and state governments in partnering government mainly in the plan documents. Most of the to run orphanages, homes for destitute women, plans focus on a broad spectrum of voluntary hostels for working women, hostels for Scheduled initiatives by the Centre involvement. The Sixth Five Year Plan was the Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, primary may have had some fi rst to include a reference to the voluntary sector, and secondary schools and colleges. The focus of infl uence in the initiatives even if it was only in the context of distinguishing government-voluntary agency partnership was the taken by the Government such organisations from cooperatives and management of institutions. The management of Panchayat Raj institutions (PRIs), which are poverty alleviation and social service programmes of Karnataka to bring government sponsored. In the Tenth Plan, NGOs was the preserve of the government. several NGOs into major are described as intermediary, not-for-profi t government sponsored institutions but they are referred to only twice; NGOs in Karnataka programmes. the space and attention given to the voluntary The profi le of government-voluntary organisation sector is really minimal. It is only in the Seventh partnership followed much the same path in Plan that there is an extensive discussion of Karnataka. The recognition of the role of voluntary the voluntary sector and ‘NGOs’, which are agencies in partnering government initiatives by generally understood to be not-for-profi t, the Centre may have had some infl uence in the professional, intermediary institutions, which initiatives taken by the Government of Karnataka manage programmes in the areas of economic to bring several NGOs into major government and social development, engage in advocacy, sponsored programmes. Though this experience welfare, rehabilitation and training. These NGOs has been a mixed one, there is ample evidence are generally not membership institutions. They that, on the whole, this collaboration between the form one set of institutions, which are part of public and voluntary (NGO) sectors in development a broader portfolio, which include institutions has helped to raise the ownership of people of like trade unions, professional associations, these programmes and the quality of people’s and environmental groups, which are largely institutions that subsequently emerged. membership institutions. However, the members of the membership institutions mentioned above One interesting feature of this process is that are largely from the middle and upper classes. the government itself has promoted a number of There is another category of institutions generally NGOs registered under the Societies Registration called community based organisations (CBOs) Act. These institutions, registered under the 280 Karnataka Human Development Report 2005 Societies Act, have government employees as The term ‘self-help group’ (SHG) is sometimes members and executives of the society. Almost used very ubiquitously to encompass all kinds all of these government sponsored societies have of group activity; a more exact defi nition of an been promoted in the context of bilaterally and SHG would be a group or collective of people multilaterally funded projects. Such organisations based on the affi nity of its members, who share a tend to further blur the profi le of a voluntary