VANI`s voices
THERE has been lot of mixed reaction to the decision taken by the Voluntary Action Network India (vani), a Delhi-based voluntary organisation to look into the blacklisting of 564 ngos across the country by capart (Council for Advancement of People's action and Rural Technology). "We demand that the government set up an enquiry to look into capart's functioning," said Anil K Singh, executive secretary, vani. capart's decision was announced on June 10, accusing ngos of inefficiency, financial fraud and corruption.
Says Singh, "When an accusation of inefficiency and corruption is made against ngos, we need to clearly specify the types of organisation that are being listed and also the nature of accusation made against them." vani had asked capart for the list of the errant ngos, so that a special committee can be set up to investigate these charges. But capart has not responded, informed Singh.
"These development agencies have remained the sole protectors of the rights and voices of the poor and the marginalised providing them with security nets and development opportunities in their own small way," points out Singh.
Singh stresses that capart must first put its own house in order. A vani document -- vani News -- says, "during the past 5-6 years, to get projects sanctioned, one had to pay a 10 per cent commission to capart officials. Today, this has been hiked to 40 per cent." The document reveals that political parties and leaders, and retired and present government officials run business in the name of social work using capart funds.
vani strongly feels that the government should find out about capart officials who were in league with the blacklisted organisations, whether past records of such agencies were checked and whether networks and federation of voluntary organisation were consulted before giving them the funds.
However, Singh points out that checks and balances are certainly needed. vani suggests that while releasing grants-in-aid to voluntary agencies, monitoring, evaluation and accounting procedures, government funding agencies should follow the recommendations made by the review committee headed by P B Krishnaswamy, former additional secretary in the department of administrative reforms in 1988. The Krishnaswamy report lists suggestions for cutting through red tapism and corruption, and simplify systems for releasing grants-in-aid.