The only two Nobel peace prizes awarded to Indians thus far were given not to politicians, statesmen or religious leaders, but to a woman and man who chose to work with the poorest of the poor as part of the voluntary development or non-profit sector of the country.

You may or may not agree with the religious politics of Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity or Kailash Satyarthi and his Bachpan Bachao Andolan’s publicity-driven methods. You could also be among those who believe that such awards are meaningless because the West has a tendency to felicitate those who showcase the worst side of developing countries such as India.

Yet, it is hard to deny that Mother Teresa, Satyarthi and their teams, who are part of the Indian civil society organization (CSO) universe, have had a role to play in changing the social fabric of this country. And, their contribution, in no small measure, was made possible by the funding they received from international organizations and donors from time to time.

In June 2014, a “leaked” Intelligence Bureau report alleged that some CSOs, funded by international agencies, were hindering India’s economic growth with their anti-national activities. Ever since, the drive to restrict foreign funding to such CSOs—initiated under the United Progressive Alliance-2 government in 2010 with the amendment to Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010—has picked up pace under the National Democratic Alliance..........Read more

 

 

Source web page: livemint