Udayor Blog

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) also called voluntary organizations are increasingly becoming a part of implementing government programmes. The rural uplift schemes of the central government like the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) that replaced the old IRDP during the tenure of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government has a major role for NGOs in its implementation. What was also adopted, though with lacunas, by the government of Kerala. The People’s Plan model had made a serious attempt to incorporate the people at the grass roots in to the development process. The local Panchayats and NGOs came to have a major role. But due to inexperienced people handling the scheme there were major failures but the idea behind it was commendable. At the state and central government levels the Social Welfare sector also has a major role for NGOs, apart from development.

Now with a new Left Front government in power and the question of re-launching the People’ Plan process in the cards there are new possibilities emerging. It is time to correct the mistakes committed so far, also correct the deliberate attempts by the vested interests to siphon off state resources as monopolies. In this the most glaring instance was the role of voluntary organizations, NGOs. Due to historic and other reasons the legitimate NGOs in Kerala are almost all run by the Christian church. Thus it became a paradox of those with international sources of funds getting the meager state resources as well. The others left out or becoming beneficiaries of the Church. That when these are state funds that are pooled in to the society, but through the church outfits. Creating a kind of subtle slavery. The welfare and development inputs of the state bypassed the others was the result. How there is a sprouting of old age homes, orphanages etc under the Christian segment where there is none in the Hindu community.

Thus the NGO sector in Kerala, who take state funds, are almost all Christian and of late a few Muslim organizations also have started getting in to this. But the majority Hindu community, whether Nayar, Ezhava, Pulaya or others, could not evolve systems that can pool in state funds and remained in their own community work. Since it requires an amount of exposure to the various state run schemes also the modalities of accessing these the tradition bound communities failed in addressing the problem. How the very same communities with external sources of incomes came to tap the state resources as well. Leading to a skewed society of the minority haves and majority have nots. There is a network of well run Christian NGOs across Kerala and priests frequent the state departments to access these funds. The ministers are also normally from the minorities who ensure the smooth flow of funds to their own communities. This when the others starve of capital.

Now there are institutions that cater to the needs of the other Hindu communities which remain in obsolete approaches and traditions. There is also a stigma attached to these organizations when there is none about the Christian church sponsored organizations. If a white paper is issued about the quantum of money siphoned out by these organizations over time, also the community wise profile of the NGOs receiving state funds shocking details shall be known. What has remained hidden from public notice so far. The native communities with the least exposure to the modalities of the government schemes remain ignorant about these and the ramifications. Large amounts of government funds are also getting wasted or reaching the wrong hands due to this anomaly. The tradition bound NGOs from the Hindu community, untouchables in government schemes, are the biggest losers in this.

So to correct the deviance through years it is only proper that these communities and their community organizations be brought under the implementation schemes of the government. Thus the leading organizations like the Nair Service Society (NSS), Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) Pulaya Mahasabha, Yogakshema Sabha, similar organizations of other communities need to be brought under the armpit of the delivery mechanisms of government. Since it is due to the rampant corruption and incompetence of government departments, that lead to the failure of translating the macro-level programmes on the ground, the NGOs came to have a role cannot be denied. Here, if only one community takes the benefits it is not justice. What has been happening so far where the church sponsored organizations are having the kill for so long. Since the others did not know the implications it remained hidden from public view, these monopolies cleverly kept it hidden.

What can be done is to advice these bodies to restructure themselves with proper value addition and management inputs and then based on set criteria allow them roles in implementation of programmes. Each community organization in a locality can be incorporated and based on their inner strengths entrusted with implementation of programmes for the locality cutting across all sections of people. A consensus evolved based on merits of administering the schemes. Specific criteria for accessing various schemes based on the capacities can be set up and the organizations graded according to these. Already the SNDP is running micro-credit programmes successfully and there is no reason why they cannot do well in implementing state programmes. The progress so far is reportedly very promising. These organizational units have major strengths and the chances of funds getting wasted are very less.

Same is the case with others, some of whom may need short term training programmes to enable them implement these. It will help simultaneously meet the problem of unemployment in these communities and also inject capital in to the capital starved sectors. The stigma attached to community organizations need to go, there is no reason why the Christian organizations, say the YMCAs, are not having any stigma but the NSS or SNDP has it. It is a wrong approach and needs immediate correction. The large network of the NSS, to take an instance, is 6000 units strong, spread over the state and most of them having buildings and infrastructure but presently idling. The various community leaders ought to take it up as a serious issue and demand that this be implemented by the new state government.

It is a tragedy that the amount allotted for SC/ST welfare keeps getting lapse as the government mechanisms fail to use it. Reportedly up to Rs. 200 crores in this head from the central government was lost during the tenure of the previous ministry. In Rural Development, as the union Minister of Rural Development himself told a Press Conference in Thiruvananthapuram, as much as Rs. 125 crores lapsed. This due to irresponsible behaviour of the previous government who did not use it, a big sin as the needy millions are ignorant of what happened. Thus it is only proper that the state government gets out from the old stigma of community organizations, except Christian and now Muslim organizations, and incorporate them in to the implementation schemes. The modalities of this can be worked out in consultation with the concerned organizations, who may need to make appropriate changes from within.