Education NGOs get maximum foreign funds, US leads the way…..Anubhuti Vishnoi
The top ten recipients of foreign funds in India are all in the education sector. While the United States doles out the maximum funds to Indian NGOs working in the education sector, the other countries which make it to the top five list are United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Netherlands (see chart).
According to the figures accessed by The Indian Express through RTI, the US sent Rs 170 crore to these NGOs in 2005-06. The figure went up to Rs 494.58 crore in 2007-08, despite the recession.
The UK, which sent Rs 55 crore in 2005-06, hiked the amount to Rs 893 crore in 2006-07, but calibrated it down to Rs 477 crore in the year 2007-08.
Among the NGOs, World Vision India, the India branch of the international Christian humanitarian organisation which advocates sponsoring education for needy children, gets the maximum funds. In 2007-08, its foreign funding added up to Rs 211 crore. Andhra Pradesh’s Rural Development Trust came a distant second with Rs 124 crore.
Supported by the US’s Gospel for Asia, Kerala’s Believers Church, which also runs a string of educational institutes and schemes, got Rs 101 crore in the same period, while Delhi-based Caritas India got Rs 89 crore.
Incidentally, Indian NGOs across all sectors received over Rs 9,000 crore from foreign sources in 2007-08. With some of these transactions coming under the scanner of the Ministry for Home Affairs, as many as 41 NGOs have been banned from receiving foreign funds.
Those banned from receiving any foreign contributions as in 2009 include the J&K Muslim Conference, Wazirabad headquartered in Srinagar; the Tibetan Culture & Education Foundation, Bangalore; Akandar Tryst and Public Relief Trust, both in Srinagar; Christ’s Helping Hand Chidren’s Home, Rajamundhry; Vikash Parishad, Koraput; Falah-e-Aam Trust, Baramulla; Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, Chennai; Saraswati Charitable Trust, Delhi; Adima Jati Seva Samiti, Kandhamal; Haryanvi Organisation for Progress and Ecology, Sonepat; Jamai Atul Falah, Azamgarh and Church of Christ Trust, Dindigul.
A state-wise comparison of the funding shows that Delhi is on top of the list, with its NGOs getting Rs 1,716 crore in 2007-08. While Tamil Nadu comes second with Rs 1,670 crore, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are close on its heels.
In fact, the figures reveal that NGOs in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Mahrashtra and Karnataka have got the maximum foreign funds since 2005, while most of the so-called BIMARU states lag far behind. However, NGOs in Uttar Pradesh manage to get about Rs 100-200 crore annually.
A district-wise break-up shows that Chennai has been leading for years now, while Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad complete the top five list. Interestingly, besides the cities, Ananthpur, Pathanmthitta and Ernakulam also figure among the top ten districts where NGOs get maximum foreign funds.