Sept.14 2006 Meeting Minutes

Discussions during the NGO Council Meeting

held on 14^th Sept. 2006 at 4:00 pm at the HELP Library

1. Networking role of the NGO Council:

·        While one of the objectives of the NGO Council is to be a networking platform for NGOs and civil society in Mumbai, the Council should also join already existing networks, so as to develop a broader base. This will enable the smaller NGOs and members of the NGO Council to develop a working relationship with such networks.

·        The NGO Council can thus join forces with such existing networks, and once the dialogue and interaction is established, collaborations between the 2 can be worked out. E.g.: In the Education field, the PTA Forum can be approached.

2. Role of the NGO Council:

·        The NGO Council aims to be an issue-based support group – where for any issue, a group of member NGOs and individuals who support that issue will take it forward.

·        Through the formation of the steering groups / focus groups for each issue – the NGO Council can play the role of a facilitator or co-ordinator. As a facilitator, the NGO Council should interact beyond the BMC / government, and include professionals to draw up policies for the issues that are taken up. One aim of the NGO Council is to help BMC / any government agency to do their job better.

3. Recent response of BMC to NGO Council:

• Recent interactions of the NGO Council, member NGOs, individuals, etc. with the BMC for various issues have met with little success, where the message by the BMC is that they have little time to interact with NGOs and do not see the value of such interactions.
• It was expressed that by BMC ignoring the NGO Council or NGOs, and not including the Council in the Cleanliness Rules, the Council is neither going to stop its efforts or give up on the issues that are being raised.
• It was suggested that the NGO Council meet the Mayor and some Corporators to get the clear message across to the political as well as administrative wings of the BMC that the NGO Council is not a threat. Since the Council cannot ignore the political forces, it should look at ways to harness them.
  
  

4. Other suggested methods of engagement:

• RTI: In any government and civil society interaction, the usual case is that government is unwilling and does not want to engage in a constructive manner. It is the exception to the rule, where officers are willing to engage with citizens. Hence the tool of RTI can be used to question Govt. as to why suggestions submitted were not used, and what action and progress has been taken on that matter.
• Publicise the document: Another method is to publicise the document that has been submitted to the Government by releasing it in the media, etc., so that it becomes a “public” document, and thereafter, other people can take it up, even with RTI, if required.
• Interact at the lower levels: Since the BMC officers at the top appear disinclined, the Council can still interact with the other implementing officials, at Ward or Zonal levels, etc. (This suggestion has been found to be impractical, since the implementing officials will only engage if given the go ahead by the top officials)
• Interact with those who are willing: Negative behaviour is to be expected from BMC / government, so the Council can use this period to strengthen itself, and look and wait for those in BMC who see the value of the Council and are willing to engage.

5. Meeting various people to break the ice / bridge the gap between Government and the NGO Council:

It was decided to approach some persons within and outside Government to whom the NGO Council is introduced, and thereafter, based on their reactions, that can be taken ahead. The following names were suggested:

• Municipal Commissioner
• Mayor
• Addl. MCs
• Jayant Patil – Guardian Minister for Mumbai
• Ravindra Pawar – NCP Corporator in BMC, and other Corporators
• Milind Deora
• Supriya Sule
• Priya Dutt
• T.Chandrasekhar, MMRDA
• Editors of Newspapers

The main aim of meeting these people is to explain what the objectives of the NGO Council are, and to seek their support for the same.

(Those who are able to facilitate a meeting with any of the suggested persons, or those who would like to be part of any meeting, are requested to come forward.)

(A crisp one-page write up is to be prepared about the NGO Council to present to those whom we meet. The 74^th Amendment that guarantees citizen involvement in Governance can be mentioned.)

6. Strengthening of the NGO Council:

• Registering of the NGO Council was expressed to be a priority; the process is underway and is expected to take 4-6 months.
• Thereafter, the NGO Council to be built up as a brand.
• Apart from registration, the main goal should be to strengthen the Council, so that it can engage with whom-so-ever it needs to; at present in those areas / sectors / issues where the Council is strong, and gradually in other areas as well, as the focus groups build up
• Hence Focus Groups are one of the key components of the NGO Council. E.g. a Focus Group on Public Health can be formed, with Col. Dr. Wasudeo, Dr. Janaki Desai, and Annabel Mehta being part of it, along with Dr.Ratna Magotra and Dr.Armida Fernandez (SNEHA). Col. Dr. Wasudeo offered to lead the Public Health Group. The Core Group of the Focus group themselves decides how much to focus on, which aspect to focus on, whether to work on policy or at the grass root level, etc.
• NGO Council members must also get other members of their NGOs to get involved in the NGO Council and the focus groups, so as to support and take forward the initiatives of the Council. This would help the Council expand its reach and effectiveness, especially if there is a city-wide initiative to be undertaken, and would also expose the member NGOs members to the NGO Council and its initiatives.
• The idea is that the NGO Council should become a collective force to reckon with, so that, MoU or no MoU, it cannot be ignored. If there are 100 members in a Focus Group on Public Health, such a group cannot be ignored by Government, and they will engage with such a group.

7. Interaction between the members of the NGO Council:

• Some member NGOs are still trying to see and find the value in the NGO Council, and the Focus Groups and their activities over the next few months can help draw members in to participate, or form new focus groups as required.
• Even sharing of experiences between members of a focus group can strengthen the group that can then decide to take up something. 
• Primarily, interaction between Council members will be through email. Where Council members do not respond, it will be assumed that they have no objection; for critical issues, meetings may be called.

8.  Support Offered:

• Nirmala Niketan offered help / support of students / resources to other NGOs especially for disaster risk assessment and education and health issues in vulnerable areas – they have a project currently on in Kurla – L ward.
• F-North Citizens Forum / Mahiti Adhikar Manch offered support for any RTI related activity or programme.