Question

Role of ngos and society in eradication of child labour

Answer 1

India has seen a massive growth in the number of NGOs operating in the country. While someone of these may be sham setups to exploit the so called 'developmental aid' market in the country, there are genuine organizations doing social work and addressing social issues that affect us as citizens.

Their positive role and contribution to the developmental activities in the country are evident in the various people centric and sustainable movements. For instance, Narmada Bachao Andolan fighting for displaced villagers of the villages submerged under the dam and the Niyamgiri Hills agitation against mining by the tribals in Orissa. NGOs like Rotary International and Gates foundation have also contributed to the success of the Polio Eradication initiative, vaccine development while the contribution of Medicine Sans Frontieres (MSF) is exceptional in providing medical aid and treatment for diseases like TB, AIDS and Malaria.

However, the government's development plans rest on spurring economic growth to pull India's large population out of poverty. The development paradigm focus is on setting up mines, manufacturing industries, nuclear power plants and developing infrastructure like Smart Cities. These policy decisions cannot be challenged by anyone, not even by courts unless they impact the fundamental rights of the citizens.

In this backdrop, the contrarion view of the civil society in India is often in conflict with economic development agenda of the government. For instance, the anti-nuclear campaign and the movement against coal mines being setup in forests have resulted in the government questioning their funding and opposition by labeling them as anti-national and anti development. While there may be genuine national security concerns but any arbitrary accusations are uncalled for and not fair specially when these decisions adversely impact the populations who depend on farmland, mineral rich forests for livelihood and the environment which has a cultural significance for the community.

The government should instead be open to criticism and public debate by taking along all stakeholders which is integral to any democracy. It should also strengthen the mechanism to bring about transparency in the functioning of NGOs through social audits etc. and effectively involve the civil society in the developmental agenda