Civil society organizations in india

Tim Williams, warehouse assistant for Medisys, Ray Fredericks, assistant director for Medisys, Dr. Abhu Kaur with Khalsa Aid, and Michael Stack, healthcare account representative for Grainger, load dozens of electrical transformers onto a pallet to be shipped from New York to New Delhi, along with oxygen concentrators, on May 7, 2021. The black market for oxygen concentrators in India is booming while people are suffocating. As prices surge 1000%, COVID-19 deaths have gone up exponentially faster. Singh, who is British Indian and Sikh and whose U.K.-based NGO is inspired by Sikh values, said he didn’t hesitate to purchase whatever oxygen he could find. “Wherever we could get access to oxygen or oxygen machines, whatever price we found on the market, even with the extortion of prices—we would pay that because the end goal is to save lives. That is the whole aim.” Read More: India’s COVID-19 Crisis Is Spiraling Out of Control. It Didn’t Have to Be This Wa y But in the face of government failure and infrastructural collapse, civil society groups are stepping forward to meet the needs of the moment. What’s striking is that many of these groups are run by volunteers belonging to minority communities that the government has been antagonistic towards in the past. For instance, this past January, right-wing media and government officials labeled Ravi Singh a terrorist sympathizer and accused Khalsa Aid of supporting terrorist organizations. India’s National Investigation Agency (N...

According to the policy brief, published by CIVICUS in November 2017, although civil society in India has been playing essential roles ever since the country's struggle for independence, the space for civil society - civic space - is increasingly being contested. India, which celebrated 70 years of democratic governance in 2017, is often described as the world’s largest democracy, and as such remains a source of inspiration for peoples’ struggles for freedom and human rights around the world. India boasts an active and vibrant civil society, with over three million civil society organisations (CSOs) and social movements fostering socio-economic, political and cultural development, and playing a major role in promoting, protecting and strengthening human rights. CSOs are working to hold the government to account for its decisions and actions and to advocate for policies that advance human rights and challenge exclusion. However, the quality of democracy and the ability to engage in democratic dissent have shrunk drastically since Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi won power on 26 May 2014. In the years since, many CSOs and activists who speak truth to power and shed light on the actions of politicians and public officials have found themselves targeted by government authorities. The government uses such tactics as restrictive legislation to deny CSOs their right to register, and in some cases suspends or withdraws CSO permits to operate. Resourcing of CSOs is also bein...

Namsai, Jun 10 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday said that his government was committed to fostering an environment of public partnership and communication to support the active participation of civil society groups in sustainable development. Speaking at the inaugural session of the C20 summit here, Khandu said his government recognises the immense value that civil societies bring to the table — their expertise, local knowledge, and community-driven initiatives. He lauded the C20 summit, which he said would serve as an exceptional platform for dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among civil society organisations from around the world to promote social and economic development. “As we celebrate the completion of nine years of service, good governance and welfare of the poor under the exceptional leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is on a mission to bring about a shared global future for all,” he said. Maintaining that Arunachal Pradesh has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years, Khandu said the “unparalleled progress” of the state was the credit of the civil society organisations. “In Arunachal Pradesh, our engagement with civil society organisations takes a unique form through the active involvement of community-based organizations (CBOs). Each year, as the state budget is prepared, we ensure that the voices of these CBOs are not only heard but embraced with utmost respect and consideration,” he said. Khand...

C20 India 2023 is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20 that provides a platform for Civil Society Organizations (CSO) around the world to voice people’s aspirations to the world leaders in G20. It gives CSOs a forum to protect the agency of this sector, reflect the primary and common concerns affecting the people of the world, and to promote social and economic development with the vision of leaving no one behind. Indian society is known for its uniquely dynamic and plural character. Although the Indian approach is quintessentially society-centric at its core, it is also a deeply independent culture which allows autonomous space for society. Because of this innately autonomous way of functioning, Indian thought has flourished over the centuries. Our approach relies on non-state initiatives, from temples and dharamshalas, to voluntary bodies to educational and welfare institutions, seeking to resolve public issues through public participation. We are committed to this path because we collectively believe in the idea of self-reliance and sustainability, where economic growth, ecological health, personal enlightenment, and social well-being go hand in hand. In India, civil society has historically remained independent of political powers and is self-supporting in every aspect. We expect this ethos to permeate this year’s C20 activities and to shift the dynamics between state, society, market, family, and individual from conflict and contradiction to cooperation, c...

Political participation in India has been transformed in many ways since the 1960s. New social groups have entered the political arena and begun to use their political resources to shape the political process. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, previously excluded from politics because of their position at the bottom of India's social hierarchy, have begun to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by India's democracy. Women and environmentalists constitute new political categories that transcend traditional distinctions. The spread of social movements and voluntary organizations has shown that despite the difficulties of India's political parties and state institutions, India's democratic tendency continues to thrive. An important aspect of the rise of civil society is the proliferation of voluntary or nongovernmental organizations. Estimates of their number ranged from 50,000 to 100,000 in 1993. To some extent, the rise of voluntary organizations has been sponsored by the Indian state. For instance, the central government's Seventh Five-Year Plan of fiscal years (FY--see Glossary) 1985-89 recognized the contributions of voluntary organizations in accelerating development and substantially increased their funding. A 1987 survey of 1,273 voluntary agencies reported that 47 percent received some form of funding from the central government. Voluntary organizations also have thrived on foreign donations, which in 1991-92 contributed more than US$400 million to...

Offering an insight into the history of voluntary service in India, it gives a breakdown of the country’s diverse CSOs, examines how they are funded, and assesses their innovative work across myriad sectors. It highlights the support many provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the need for better data, and considers how CSOs can scale up to maximize their impact. Additional Details Type • • Series • Subjects • ADB administration and governance • ADB and civil society Countries • India Pages • 22 Dimensions • 8.5 x 11 SKU • BRF230147 • Learning materials Guidelines, toolkits, and other "how-to" development resources • Books Substantial publications assigned ISBNs • Papers and Briefs ADB-researched working papers • Conference Proceedings Papers or presentations at ADB and development events • Policies, Strategies, and Plans Rules and strategies for ADB operations • Board Documents Documents produced by, or submitted to, the ADB Board of Directors • Financing Documents Describes funds and financing arrangements • Reports Highlights of ADB's sector or thematic work • Serials Magazines and journals exploring development issues • Brochures and Flyers Brief topical policy issues, Country Fact sheets and statistics • Statutory Reports and Official Records ADB records and annual reports • Country Planning Documents Describes country operations or strategies in ADB members • Contracts and Agreements Memoranda between ADB and other organizations The Asian Development Bank...

C20 India 2023 is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20 that provides a platform for Civil Society Organizations (CSO) around the world to voice people’s aspirations to the world leaders in G20. It gives CSOs a forum to protect the agency of this sector, reflect the primary and common concerns affecting the people of the world, and to promote social and economic development with the vision of leaving no one behind. Indian society is known for its uniquely dynamic and plural character. Although the Indian approach is quintessentially society-centric at its core, it is also a deeply independent culture which allows autonomous space for society. Because of this innately autonomous way of functioning, Indian thought has flourished over the centuries. Our approach relies on non-state initiatives, from temples and dharamshalas, to voluntary bodies to educational and welfare institutions, seeking to resolve public issues through public participation. We are committed to this path because we collectively believe in the idea of self-reliance and sustainability, where economic growth, ecological health, personal enlightenment, and social well-being go hand in hand. In India, civil society has historically remained independent of political powers and is self-supporting in every aspect. We expect this ethos to permeate this year’s C20 activities and to shift the dynamics between state, society, market, family, and individual from conflict and contradiction to cooperation, c...

According to the policy brief, published by CIVICUS in November 2017, although civil society in India has been playing essential roles ever since the country's struggle for independence, the space for civil society - civic space - is increasingly being contested. India, which celebrated 70 years of democratic governance in 2017, is often described as the world’s largest democracy, and as such remains a source of inspiration for peoples’ struggles for freedom and human rights around the world. India boasts an active and vibrant civil society, with over three million civil society organisations (CSOs) and social movements fostering socio-economic, political and cultural development, and playing a major role in promoting, protecting and strengthening human rights. CSOs are working to hold the government to account for its decisions and actions and to advocate for policies that advance human rights and challenge exclusion. However, the quality of democracy and the ability to engage in democratic dissent have shrunk drastically since Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi won power on 26 May 2014. In the years since, many CSOs and activists who speak truth to power and shed light on the actions of politicians and public officials have found themselves targeted by government authorities. The government uses such tactics as restrictive legislation to deny CSOs their right to register, and in some cases suspends or withdraws CSO permits to operate. Resourcing of CSOs is also bein...

Namsai, Jun 10 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday said that his government was committed to fostering an environment of public partnership and communication to support the active participation of civil society groups in sustainable development. Speaking at the inaugural session of the C20 summit here, Khandu said his government recognises the immense value that civil societies bring to the table — their expertise, local knowledge, and community-driven initiatives. He lauded the C20 summit, which he said would serve as an exceptional platform for dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among civil society organisations from around the world to promote social and economic development. “As we celebrate the completion of nine years of service, good governance and welfare of the poor under the exceptional leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is on a mission to bring about a shared global future for all,” he said. Maintaining that Arunachal Pradesh has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years, Khandu said the “unparalleled progress” of the state was the credit of the civil society organisations. “In Arunachal Pradesh, our engagement with civil society organisations takes a unique form through the active involvement of community-based organizations (CBOs). Each year, as the state budget is prepared, we ensure that the voices of these CBOs are not only heard but embraced with utmost respect and consideration,” he said. Khand...

Offering an insight into the history of voluntary service in India, it gives a breakdown of the country’s diverse CSOs, examines how they are funded, and assesses their innovative work across myriad sectors. It highlights the support many provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the need for better data, and considers how CSOs can scale up to maximize their impact. Additional Details Type • • Series • Subjects • ADB administration and governance • ADB and civil society Countries • India Pages • 22 Dimensions • 8.5 x 11 SKU • BRF230147 • Learning materials Guidelines, toolkits, and other "how-to" development resources • Books Substantial publications assigned ISBNs • Papers and Briefs ADB-researched working papers • Conference Proceedings Papers or presentations at ADB and development events • Policies, Strategies, and Plans Rules and strategies for ADB operations • Board Documents Documents produced by, or submitted to, the ADB Board of Directors • Financing Documents Describes funds and financing arrangements • Reports Highlights of ADB's sector or thematic work • Serials Magazines and journals exploring development issues • Brochures and Flyers Brief topical policy issues, Country Fact sheets and statistics • Statutory Reports and Official Records ADB records and annual reports • Country Planning Documents Describes country operations or strategies in ADB members • Contracts and Agreements Memoranda between ADB and other organizations The Asian Development Bank...