NGO’s AND GOVERNANCE

The Government has enunciated welfare state as one of the Directive Principals of State Policy and essentially the society and social organizations also have a role to play in providing basic needs and amenities to and to addressing the problems of the downtrodden, destitute and the weaker section. In India where there is wide disparity between the rich and the poor the government finds it an arduous task to reaching out to these vulnerable sections of the society. NGO’s with their field knowledge of the ground realities are able to address such issues effectively. Government thus see a great advantage in partnering with NGO’s to address their governance agendas. Similarly foreign governments and international agencies like the UN also have similar agendas of development and seek the expertise of such organizations to achieve their social and humanitarian objectives.

NGO’s work independent of the governmental machinery and as most of NGO’s generally have separate legal entity status under the various Laws which ensures that there functioning comes directly under the scrutiny of governmental organizations. At the same time the NGO’s are not tied down by red tape and their democratic structure ensures that the beneficiaries receive their services directly. Accountability towards governmental agencies ensures that governments as well as donors develop trust and confidence in the NGO’s functioning and their ability to execute projects making NGO’s as the most preferred medium for executing governmental projects.