The Role of Voluntary Organizations in Rural Development and Relief Efforts - Opinion

Sompal Shastri was the Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India (GoI), in 1997 and I was a Joint Secretary. Ours was a relationship built on mutual respect and regard. Therefore, I had little hesitation in accepting a request from him that I become the Chairman of the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI), an apex body of NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisation) of rural India, set up by GoI to strengthen, coordinate and facilitate working of NGOs at the grassroots level.

General elections had just been conducted, and the Janata-led alliance had emerged victorious at the national level with a massive majority; Andhra Pradesh state was the sole exception. The post cyclone relief operations were, therefore, unfortunately marred by murky politics.

I was then Secretary to Governor Sharda Mukherjee, a gracious and cultured lady, granddaughter of the freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das, and widow of the first Indian Chief of Air Staff, Subroto Mukherjee. The Governor, moved by the plight of the people, wanted an active and direct role in the relief operations. Fortunately, with the support of the state administration headed by Chief Minister Vengala Rao, and senior officials, we were able to persuade her not to press for it. However, as a measure of providing her the satisfaction of participating in the activities, a voluntary organization, named ‘Chetana’, was established. I have always held the view that, among their other strengths, voluntary organisations have the commitment, and the ability, to stay with the people, and the programmes meant for them, until the benefits reach the targeted people. Initiatives undertaken by government departments, on the other hand, often creative a vacuum, when they withdraw, either because the programmes have run their course, or when the funds are used up. Also, as pointed out in this column last week, government programmes rarely succeed in infusing the element of ownership in the beneficiaries of the interventions, something which NGOs are especially good at doing.

Chetana was to be headed by the Governor, with senior functionaries from the state government, and representatives of organisations, such as the Andhra Pradesh State Red Cross Committee, and of voluntary organisations active in the state, as members of its Governing Body. I was the Secretary and Treasurer.

Chetana began its activities with a workshop on rural development. Several eminent persons took part in it, such as Dr Burra Venkatappaiah, a distinguished civil servant, and formerly the Chairman of State Bank of India, and Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Dr Verghese Kurien, father of the milk revolution and of Amul fame, and distinguished scientist Dr Nayudamma,.

Thanks to Mrs. Mukherjee’s personal contacts, substantial support was received, from organisations such as the Tata Relief Committee, and the well-known political leader from Maharashtra, Rajni Patel. Chetana made a productive, and positive, contribution to relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction operations, and continued its good work for several years.

My next posting was as the Collector of Krishna district, where, again, with the support of Chetana, I established ‘Anveshana,’ a voluntary organization, to help fill gaps in governmental programmes, and provide last-mile connectivity between programmes, and the intended beneficiaries. Chief Minister Dr M Chandra Reddy was so impressed with the concept that, after a visit to the district, he sanctioned five lakhs of rupees to Anveshana as a start-up grant, a substantial amount, in those days. As often happens with a change of guard, Anveshana did not last long after I left the district.

Dr B V Parameswara Rao, founder of the Bhagavatula Charitable Trust (BCT), which had undertaken numerous development programmes, to transform rural life in Visakhapatnam district, was a member of the governing body of Chetana. He was a Gandhian, and considered a phenomenon by many distinguished thinkers, administrators and political leaders. His exceptional contribution was recognised by the then President of the World Bank, Robert McNamara, through a personal commendation. We became close friends, an association which was to last for several decades. When the position of the President of BCT fell vacant, Parameswar asked me to step in, a request which I could hardly decline.

Voluntary work appeals to many, out of a sense of obligation to help those in need, a sort of giving back to society what they got from it. Some also enjoy the satisfaction of contributing to a worthwhile purpose while, simultaneously, availing the tax concessions extended to such support. Some organisations prefer getting assistance from outside the country, especially Non-Resident Indians (NRI)s and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)s though such support is abundantly forthcoming from domestic sources, perhaps on account of personal contacts, or a shared commitment, to a cause or purpose. Unfortunately, however, the route has proved a convenient conduit for the murky business of religious conversions. Remittances from those residing abroad have also, on occasion, been used for nefarious, including terrorist, acts and are rightly perceived by the central government as a threat to the economic growth of the country. As a result, the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 was brought in to regulate acceptance and utilization of foreign contributions in case it is detrimental to the national interest.

The attitude of the central government has caused resentment to the NRI and PIO community. The New York Best Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (BGOPO) has also pointed out that the recommendations made, in the previous Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conducted by the government of India, have not been implemented. The argument is that modest contributions by relatively unimportant individuals or institutions ought not to be a matter of serious concern. If, in fact, the amounts are so small, one wonders why the Government of India should at all allow the route to exist! The NRI/PIO community should think in terms of pure philanthropy and sacrifice, if they really wish to make a contribution to their motherland.

Another pertinent point in this context is that the much archetypal Indian is in the habit of preferring the exotic to something homegrown. As the Telugu saying goes, dishes made in the neighbours’ kitchen are always tastier! After all, as the poet Thomas Campbell said, “‘Tis distance lends enchantment to the view, and robes the mountain in azure hue!”

What voluntary organisations really need is for the government to get out of the way and stop creating hurdles in their efforts. The story, probably apocryphal, is told about how Alexander the Great, still basking in the glory of his conquests, went back to his Guru, Aristotle, and offered to pay a concrete tribute. And Aristotle, who was, quite literally, basking in the sun, is said to have looked at his disciple, and gently told him to move out of the way of the sunshine as Alexander was blocking it!

(The writer was formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)