E-Paper
Big Brother to watch over NGOs, civil society worried
NEW DELHI: The Centre is set to create a central database of NGOs in India and will tell states to get the voluntary sector to log in to the portal started by NITI
NEW DELHI: The Centre is set to create a central database of NGOs in India and will tell states to get the voluntary sector to log in to the portal started by NITI Aayog.
The move — that comes after a crackdown on the Centre’s critics among foreign-funded NGOs – has triggered worries among civil society groups that the database could be used to target other NGOs as well.
Under the Centre’s plan drawn up in close coordination with the PMO, the National Institution for Transforming India Aayogrun portal would issue a unique number to each NGO.
“Provision has been made to enter the details of members of the (NGO’s) governing body as well,” a government document circulated ahead of Inter-State Council meeting on Saturday said. But the Centre needs to get the states on board as they have the power over NGOs and the discussion on Saturday was aimed towards this objective. The Centre wants the states to issue instructions to their regulatory bodies such as the Registrar of Societies and Charity Commissioner to mandate that the NGOs enrol on the portal.
“This will enable to have a good repository of such organisations, their areas of work and their members,” the agenda note said.
Most states are expected to readily agree to the database as it will help them too. The UPA government had conceived the idea but did not force the NGOs to register.
But within the voluntary sector, the crackdown targeting NGOs that criticised government policies and its leaders has them worried.
Rajesh Tandon, founder president of PRIA that works for the empowerment of the excluded and policy advocacy, said his primary fears around the database arose due to the government’s recent actions, a reference to the crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs.
