Governance, GS 2, TLP-UPSC Mains Answer Writing
2. Do you think NGOs are indispensable for extending relief after natural or man made calamities? Substantiate your views.
क्या आपको लगता है कि प्राकृतिक या मानव निर्मित आपदाओं के बाद राहत देने के लिए गैर सरकारी संगठन अपरिहार्य हैं? अपने विचारों की पुष्टि करें।
Demand of the question:
It expects students to write about the role played by NGO’s while extending relief during natural or manmade calamities. It also expects students to substantiate their view with careful analysis.
Introduction:
Ever since independence, NGOs have played a crucial role in helping the needy in India, providing aid & elevating the socio-economic status of millions in the country. But, with respect to extending relief during calamities their role doesn’t confines only providing to aid but rebuilding the destroyed landscape & providing relief while working hand-in-hand with public authorities.
Body:
The Disaster Management Act 2005 emphasizes the need for continuous and integrated process of planning, organising, coordinating and implementing policies and plans on DM in a holistic, community based, participatory, inclusive and sustainable manner. Which in turn suggest when it comes to disaster then government should adopt a holistic approach to tackle the disaster.
Role played by NGO’s while extending relief in Natural and man-made calamities:
- A Natural or manmade calamity is a result of natural or man-made causes that leads to sudden disruption of normal life, causing severe damage to life and property to an extent that available social and economic protection mechanisms are inadequate to cope.
- Replicate micro-level initiatives: The community-focussed approach, which is the main strength of NGOs.
- Optimum use of resources. In Asian countries, where limited resources, logistic and infrastructure facilities pose challenges, optimal use of available
financial and human resources, support systems is a must for timely calamity response and effective calamity reduction measures.
- Check Overlapping, Duplication, & Confusion. Timely response to natural
calamities remains a difficult task in South Asian countries, where a majority of people live in dispersed rural settlements with inadequate communication
facilities.
- Supplement Govt’s Response with Sector-focused Initiatives. Experience in
Orissa and in other parts of India shows that NGO focus on sector-specific
issues such as livelihood, community organisation, community asset creation,
women group formation, etc.
- Strengthen Community-Based Disaster Preparedness. In South-Asia poverty
and low awareness explain higher human casualty and deeper adverse impact of disasters.
Hence it seems imperative to include NGO’s while tackling Natural or manmade calamity. But there are some issues with respect to some NGO’s too:
- Accreditation remains a big challenge as it is very difficult to distinguish whether an organization wants to work for the cause or has been set up only for the purpose of receiving government grants.
- NGOs have acted as a cover for organized crime in past and are often seen as fronts for fundamentalist causes. So, during a calamity it may happen that NGO may use the organisation as cover to expedite the crisis.
But We cannot ignore some of the fantastic works done by some NGO’s during this COVID-19 crisis:
- The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India headquartered in Bengaluru. Since the COVID-19 crisis, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in close coordination with State Governments and District Administration, has stepped in to provide relief by providing food to thousands of people across the country.
- Waste pickers are the communities most vulnerable to infections. Pune-based Kashtakari Panchayat (NGO) has organised a fundraiser to support nearly 7,000 workers in Pune. The funds will be used to provide safety kits, consisting of gloves, masks, soaps and sanitizers, and a month’s supply of essentials, like grains, pulses, oil, sugar and tea.
Conclusion:
As we know that the Natural or Man-made calamities test the humankind’s will to win over the adversities. Hence, when we want to tackle the natural or manmade calamities then NGO’s role seems indispensable but it should be made sure that the NGO works in consonance with the objective and not against it so that help & relief can reach up to the last person the ladder.
