Do NGOs in India Really Work for Others OR Work for their Own Vested Interests?

This in response of comment of Amar Deep Tiwari,

Let us look at NGOs as a complimentary and support system of the government We must appreciate that fact that government Alone will not be able to do every thing on its own, every welfare scheme and plans does have have an 'NGO element' in them.

We cannot rule out NGOs existence. Coming to your statement "Behind these organisations people make only their life better instead of poor people" Please note that today's NGos are much more or rather very professional. The staff invests years of professional education and mind you a professional social work degree from a premier institute in India is expensive. However, even the senior most staff members in the organisations do not get paid closer to 15-20% of salary if he/she works in a corporate entity. So it is generalization that that 'they make their life better'.

Social work today is not about living a life of renunciation like a Sadhu or a Nun, it is a profession and like in any other profession, only if staff is paid decently will they be in a better condition to serve others. At the end each one of us has a family to take care of. How does one save for his/her old age? Health costs are rising, children's education in a decent school is getting difficult to pay for. I have seen my colleagues in NGO working for paltry salaries, and getting huge salaries when they moved to a company or abroad (huge by even western standards).

Going by the logic, so many people choose govt services, which are today very highly paid, and mind you each govt staff is paid out taxes. Who pays these taxes? You and me. Govt's work is also not a business but a 'service', and going by this logic why should the govt. Servants have very high salaries, govt benefits, housing, vehicles and what not depending on their job profiles. They are doing 'service' and should not have air conditioned cars, offices, cabins, leave travel concession (LTC) , or concessional travel for govt. Airline of railways. "Why" should they? Railways is not a profit making venture but a public service company. However, even they are human beings, they deserve to be getting what is due to them, they are entitled to all these, because only when your needs are satisfied, will you be in the capacity to do for others, they have their families to take care of.

So, let us not get into this. Yes, there will always be exceptions where some of the NGOs who may have done malpractice or broken the law at some level, but most NGOs are formed with a positive intention to 'serve a particular need/cause'.

Tax deductions are provided for donations to encourage people to do charity. No one can create an NGO to save taxes, mind you there are so many compliance and rules today that it is difficult to create an NGO to 'save taxes. '.

By the way how many of us simply donate when visiting a holy shrine or a place of worship, without questioning the utility of these anonymous donation boxes? We trust that it has gone to safe hands, and will be used for betterment of the shrine, facilities of that place etc. And other service activities.

Let us not generalize our singular experiences. If you want to contribute to an NGO, internet is at your disposal. Check the website, speak to the staff, representatives, speak to the beneficiaries, look at all the valid registrations, documents importantly, ask for their 'Annual Report'. Please Google for leads to their history of any untoward event/happening. But do not go to a non-profit organisation with an 'attitude of doubt or skepticism'.

Most NGOs are so very professional today, as such they have ways to look at their own efficiency, may be by way of being conscious of cost per beneficiary, maintaining a healthy ratio of administrative and programme related expenditures, measuring 'Social Return on Investment' (SROI) , maintaining staff-beneficiary ratio, maintaining a reasonable 'Cost of Fund raising', conducting impact studies, practices such as having well defined Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and Key Result Areas (KRA) KRAs, drawing up operation plans, internal and external reporting systems. Hence, to ensure that a maximum no. Of people benefit with the limited resources available, you need a 'Professional and qualified Social Worker' who does not come for free, s/he has brains, ideas, innovations, ability to manage, lead and motivate teams, show results and efficiency. Professionals have to be paid.

An NGO's work is "People to People' and a mental and emotional draining (in addition to personal life) is inevitable. They need to be paid their due. An ambulance on call for common man, a child helpline, a suicide helpline, a distress tollfree line, these were all innovations of a 'social worker' which might have over time adopted into our admisistrative systems over time. The caller to these numbers may have been a rich child, or a well heeled woman calling for help in suicidal circumstances/distress. NGOs are for all of Us.

Volunteer with them as some one suggested, to have a better understanding of their work look at them as partners in social well being.

But in India's state where is many popular place Uttarakhand have a maximum area where people haven't any knowledge about many thing just like an place lie on nearest of Badrinath temple which is the amused place in idea there aren't available any type network from there people isn't about phone, technology etc.

Our NGO registered 2005, we got 80G, 12AA, FCRA tax exception certificates, we are done 200 medical camps in our own money. We applied 8 central government project no response. All the projects are allotted to influential and political related NGO's. When where we search honesty NGO's working for poor peoples but without money run NGO's impossible.

I worked for a NGO for couple of years. Initially I was under the impression that NGOs are doing genuine work. They were paying well since they own a Bank and Insurance Company. The thing which I noticed was that the top management was enjoying and lower management was struggling they had to go visit slum areas daily and struggle in dirt filth. And if they don't butter the top management they were sacked from the job. This NGO had a appraisal process where each one had to prove their worth. The person who is visiting slums daily and slogging was humiliated and insulted left and right during appraisal process.

But as long as you are good with the senior management and buy them gifts you are spared. So technically it was not the hardworking or sincere employee who was working it was the manipulative and opportunistic who was working with the slum kids. Many of the employees were mere young girls in for pocket money and they knew how to get it from their rich male bosses. All said and done overall the atmosphere was not conducive for decent work. The top management wasn't even bothered with lower hierarchy they were just enjoying with the trustees roaming around in cars and tours across India. Government needs to check thoroughly the work of NGOs and not take a bribe from them.

But with my experience of working with them I would say they are a shady lot RTI has to be introduced and we need to get answers about their work ethics.

NGOs or non-government organization are organizations which provide basic needs to poor people i.e education medicine and employment etc actually NGOs are boon for poor people because it helps a lot but to provide basic needs is not a government responsibility to provide education is not a government responsibility to provide medicine is not a government responsibility yes it is government responsibility and government is not fulfilling it so a person which os not responsible to do any work doing work so how can we blame it so how can we blame NGOs if some corrupt people is present in NGOs we have to point out those corrupt people not, NGOs so I think NGOs are doing well

Some are genuine while others are not all they seem to be. I volunteer with the Sitaram Jindal Foundation and they are very active towards healthcare, infrastructure. Education and women empowerment. They are pretty good and their main interest is towards the betterment of the society and moral upliftment. Wherever you wish to contribute, do a thorough check and see if they are doing work towards charity and then contribute.

NGO's are working in INDIA very properly and with all dedication.

NGOs are doing their work with all their efforts and resources available to them.

Mother Teresa who worked for the orphan children, didn't work for the money. Nana Patekar who donated his 90% of the earning to the charity& worked for the farmers.

NGOs do the work which governments should do.

I would just say NGOs are "by the people, for the people, of the people".

NGO.

Yes, the NGOs do fill their pockets. Who doesn't wants to fill his pockets? I personally suppose no one is there who doesn't like luxury and there is nothing selfish in it because it's natural. But it doesn't mean that they don't work for the people. They are at least loyal enough to look forward to public interests. Even if they have selfish motives behind it rather ends up in the betterment of the society at least they don't sell themselves up like the government.

Hello all, I am glad to read each one of your comments in the thread. I agree that it doesn't matter whether an NGO is giving 100% or less but the positive point is that the NGO's are doing for the society i.e. educating, helping senior citizens, health sector, etc.

Though there are many fake NGO's who run it for their own selfish benefits but because of them, we cannot ignore the genuine NGO's who are actually doing good for the society and poor.

Bigger NGO's with known names only end up getting a donation from donors and all the funds from other sources while the mid-size NGOs struggle to get a donation.

Considering all this, we are building a platform to connect NGOs and donors together.

Though most of the NGO's in India are working for the benefit of poor of India and demonstrate some field like health, education, food, providing home, safety and protection of women, animal, and senior citizen, trees etc. These all are noble causes, in today time most of people have sufficient money to purchase necessary things and well living of self and dependent members so they donate few part of their money to these NGO's. But like other professions there some negativity attach to it. Today's world is professional all have their families to feed and money's needed for these purposes also one can give his 100% to the organization only if there is no financial burden on him.