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NGOs must come under RTI and Lokpal

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Union government has taken a rightful approach by further tightening norms for foreign-funded Non-Government-Organisations (NGOs) where these are now required to open accounts in 32 selected banks. Earlier Union government decided to monitor funding to NGOs by world’s leading funding organisation Ford Foundation (US). Intelligence Bureau’s report indicated about misuse of Indian NGO’s for any anti-national agenda by foreign-contributors where it was revealed that India’s GDP has been adversely affected to big extent of 2-3 per cent through such foreign-funding to NGOs. Many NGOs are said to have been funded for cultural evasion in India. Foreign-funded NGOs spend in rupees and receive funds in dollars by sending these foreign-contributors exaggerated photos and videos of events dramatised to get huge foreign-funding. Many NGOs are tools to divert foreign-funds of individuals.

Siphoning of government-funds for NGOs run by influential ones in political and bureaucratic circles in name of their family-members should be prevented by stopping any kind of direct or indirect funding of NGOs at public-expense including from funds at discretion of Parliamentarians and state-legislators. These NGOs pay lucrative salaries and perks to its officers who are either relation to power-filled politicians and bureaucrats, or of persons running these NGOs. Buildings built on land allotted on concessional rates to NGOs should become government-property because of large-scale funding already done to these NGOs by the government. According to a study-report, India has an NGO for every 400 citizens, where NGOs are mainly used as some business-shops by those ‘owning’ these! Any provision of tax-exemption for ‘donations’ made to NGOs should be abolished. However, in the meanwhile all NGOs should be under purview of ‘Right-To-Information’ (RTI) Act and also of Lokpal.

Madhu Agrawal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

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