Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | ‘Set up national panel to check misuse of government funds by NGOs’ -Sandeep Joshi

‘Set up national panel to check misuse of government funds by NGOs’ -Sandeep Joshi

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jan 21, 2013   modified Modified on Jan 21, 2013
-The Hindu

Highlighting the importance of proper audit of the non-government organisations (NGOs), particularly those getting grants from the government, a report based on information received under RTI reveals that the Union and State governments give yearly grants worth Rs.1,000 crore to various NGOs.

“At a time when the grants to the NGOs given by the Centre have been increasing — from Rs. 561 crore in 2002-2003 to Rs. 835 crore in 2008-09, we need to have a ‘National Grants-in-Aid Commission’ through which all grants to the voluntary sector by all the Ministries should be routed for transparency and better monitoring of projects,” said Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) Director Suhas Chakma.

‘Funding a scam’

ACHR’s report — ‘India’s Funds to NGOs Squandered’ — alleges that the Government of India’s funding to the tune of hundreds of crores to voluntary organisations was a scam and in dire need of reform as the audit by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) was infrequent, inadequate and does not include the NGOs.

The report points out that as per replies received under the RTI Act, the Central Ministries and the State governments provided at least Rs. 6,654.35 crore as grants to NGOs and voluntary organisations between 2002-03 and 2008-09 — Rs. 4,757 crore by the Centre and Rs. 1,897 crore. Mr. Chakma noted that beyond blacklisting of NGOs there was no accountability, while field surveys found that bribes played a major role in approval of projects.

The ACHR urged the Centre to ask all Ministries to do away with the current process of recommendations by the District Magistrates and the State governments, and invite applications through open call for proposals and consider projects on merits by independent evaluators. It urged the government to ask all departments to make information pertaining to grants to voluntary sector available under the RTI Act.

Mr. Chakma said the CAG report concluded that 7,916 fund utilisation certificates from the grantees for grant worth Rs. 96.79 crore from 1981-2009 were not obtained under the scheme of Grants-in-Aid for voluntary agencies.

The CAG noted that the possibility of misutilisation of funds or fraud cannot be ruled out as majority of agencies who took grants neither came back to the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board for the next instalment after release of first instalment nor did they furnish progress reports.

“From pre-funding assessment to evaluation of the activities implemented [by NGOs], there are no mechanisms. The funding given to NGOs are not subject to the CAG audit while the decision-aking process of funding by the officials too has never been subject to any evaluation. It has taken the CAG about 20 years to recognise the malaise of funding by the Ministry of Environment and Forests,” he said.

The Hindu, 21 January, 2013, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/set-up-national-panel-to-check-misuse-of-government-funds-by-ngos/article4327539.ece


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close