Mentors comment:

Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders. Introduction should mention about the civil society and they being the back bone of democracy.

Further, mention the need for civil society organization, like they help in plural sphere, enables citizens to access centres of powers and privileges, act as a backbone of democracy, Gandhian tradition of volunteerism etc.

Next, mention the role played by civil society in good governance.

Mention about the challenges, way forward and conclude with a balanced note.

Model Answer:

Civil society is the set of civic rights, including primarily everyone’s right to participate in Public life. Civil society forms the backbone of democracy. Civil society derives its strength from the Gandhian tradition of volunteerism, but today, it expresses itself in many different forms of activism. Civil society refers to formal as well as informal entities and includes the private sector, the media, NGOs, professional associations and informal groups of people from different walks of life.

The need for civil society organizations

• Civil society is a plural sphere, and all manners of associations find space for themselves here, from football clubs to reading groups to film fan societies
• Citizens can access centres of power and privilege only through a vibrant civil society.
• Civil society forms the backbone of democracy. Democracy does not just revolve around what happens once in five years (elections) but how rights of the citizens are protected and are allowed to hold power holders accountable.
• Civil society derives its strength from the Gandhian tradition of volunteerism, but today, it expresses itself in many different forms of activism.

Role played by civil society in India in good governance:

• A well-functioning civil society is a boon for today’s multi-stakeholder-led paradigm of good governance.
• Good governance refers to inclusive, consensus-oriented, rule-bound administration that is responsive to citizens’ pressing needs. By virtue of its expertise and goodwill, NGOs can help government improve quality of governance.
• Civil society groups perform advocacy role by highlighting specific demands of the interest groups they represent.
• Lobbying with government and legislators on such issues increases the chances of their concerns finding place in upcoming laws and executive decisions.
• Pro-active participation of women’s rights groups has forced govt to rethink on many policies.
• The rights of trafficked children have been highlighted by groups like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, whose founded Kailash Satyarthi received Nobel Prize for his efforts.
• LGBT groups have won rights of transgender in India via SC’s progressive judgments.
• Minority groups whose voices may drown in majoritarian rhetoric can effectively gain due limelight if represented by able interest groups at highest level of governance.
• This assures equity, a vital parameter of good governance.
• Civil society is an important means to keep proper checks and balances on state who exercises power with public resources at its disposal.
• In many cases, activism has forced govt to backtrack on its hastily conceived legislations like the Land Acquisition Bill.
• Also, when politicians try to misuse the electoral provisions, NGOs such as Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), PUCL, etc have optimally utilized PIL and judiciary route to control them.
• Because of these efforts only, an electoral candidate has to disclose his assets, educational qualifications, past convictions (if any) – helping voters make an informed choice. Elections being the start of a democratic cycle have been reformed by strident efforts of such NGOs and pro-active mass media.
• In internal functioning of administration, thanks to reforms like RTI by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) of Rajasthan, an element of transparency and accountability has been brought.
• Many scams and diversions have been exposed by this progressive legislation that completes 10 years of enactment this year.

Challenges faced by them:

• The challenge is multidimensional, and is compounded by the ‘unorganised’ nature of the sector, lack of regulatory frameworks and the fact that India boasts of more than a million NGOs of different roles, structures and sizes.
• The general lack of transparency in the functioning of a large proportion of civil society organisations leads to aversion in donating funds for charitable causes since the general public is largely cynical about the ‘genuineness’ of the non-profit spirit of the sector.
• Recently, the Union Home Ministry has identified some NGOs as security threat to the country.
• Such security considerations have underscored the rising need of improving the governance practices in the Indian NGOs and exercising better regulatory mechanisms, disclosure norms, and management processes including financial management and budgeting systems as well.
• Recently decades have seen a spurt in civil society organizations across the country; Many of them do not server the larger interests of society such as lobbying for industrial groups or foreign nations by advocating a policy.

What Can Be Done:

• The state must respect the articulation of the politics of voice and not just the politics of the vote.
• The promises of democracy can only be realised through collective action in civil society.
• A democratic state needs a democratic civil society and a democratic civil society also needs a democratic state. They mutually reinforce each other.
• A regulatory mechanism to keep a watch on the financial activities of NGOs and voluntary organizations is the need of the hour.
• The stringent governance standards of civil society groups will facilitate the effective management and increase the accountability to its stakeholders including donors, the government and the community.
• It is in the self-interest of the civil society to realize the fact that to implement a structure of ‘corporate governance’ principles would provide the real value to the stakeholders.
• Also, this would enable to track the potentially dubious sources of funding coming in for the voluntary sector – an aspect which has gained impetus in the wake of the increased number of terror attacks and extremist activities.

We are entering into an important phase where there are many targets that the government intends to achieve with the active collaboration of civil society. Therefore, it is important to conduct an effective review or report card of the National Policy with specific recommendations. Efforts are also needed to further disseminate the information about the policy and its intentions with small civil society as well as government functionaries. The need of the hour is to work closely with each other for the benefit of the marginalized people, as even today the dream of Mahatma Gandhi has not been achieved.