With over 5,000, TN has most NGOs
Tsunami Caused Flood, Maha 3rd ……..D Suresh Kumar | TNN
Tamil Nadu continues to provide fertile ground for mushrooming of NGOs, which now number more than 5,000 in the state, the highest in India. At least 2,000 of the NGOs in the state have sprung up over the past three years, most of them with the help of funds pumped in by international agencies for post-tsunami rehabilitation work.
According to the latest statistics released by the Union home ministry, 5,139 voluntary associations have registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976 in Tamil Nadu. This constitutes nearly 14% of the 37,242 NGOs registered under the Act across India as of February 20 this year. MHA records showed that during 2006-07, the state had 3,009 NGOs, which even then was the highest in the country.
Andhra Pradesh is second on the list with 4,768 NGOs, followed by Maharashtra, which has 3,256. The smaller states of Sikkim and Tripura have 19 and 45 voluntary organisations respectively.
Observers in the social sector confirm that hundreds of NGOs entered the scene in TN only after the tsunami, which ravaged the coastal districts of the state. “It was in a sense a golden tsunami,” said Ashok Gladston Xavier, senior lecturer, department of social work, Loyola College.
“The post-tsunami rehabilitation programme began in 2005-06 and conservatively, at least a thousand NGOs would have come up after this period. Immediately after the tsunami, as an emergency measure, the government had waived the criteria that only NGOs with three years’ field experience could receive foreign funding under the FCRA,” he said.
This proliferation of NGOs in TN has brought into focus the need for greater accountability and transparency among voluntary agencies, particularly those getting generous funding from abroad.
According to MHA figures, during 2006-07 alone, TN NGOs received a whopping Rs 2,244.25 crore funds from agencies abroad. Of this, four NGOs were among India’s top 25 recipients of foreign funds that year and three had received over Rs 100 crore each.
What is worrying is that an increasing number of NGOs funded from abroad don’t have enough volunteers to work on the field. There is no foolproof method to judge if the funds have been utilised effectively. “Many NGOs show in their account books that huge funds have been utilised to conduct seminars and workshops. But how do you assess the impact of a seminar?” asked an observer.