UP PCS Mains-2024

Introduction

The United Nations defines an NGO as “a not-for profit, voluntary citizen’s group that is organized on a local, national, or international level to address issues in support of the public good”.In a socio-economically diverse and populous state like Uttar Pradesh, NGOs have emerged as key actors in empowering vulnerable populations through targeted interventions in education, healthcare, livelihood generation, and social justice.

Body

Role of NGO in socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable section in Uttar Pradesh:

• Women empowerment: Women are one of the most vulnerable sections of society. More women are working for their rights and involving themselves actively in the social sphere. In this process the role of NGOs has been of immense importance Some of them are Sewa, Sathin, Eklavya, Disha.
• Guria India: Varanasi based non-profit organization that is dedicated to fighting child prostitution, second generation prostitution, and the trafficking of women and children for forced labour or sex.
• Sajhe Sapne: It provides end-to-end support to young rural women to launch and grow their careers in modern-day jobs and offers banking literacy.
• Social development: NGOs have played an important role in bringing about social change and development. NGOs ensure development which essentially involves the equal participation of the people. They play an essential role in educating and motivating people to fight for their rights.
• Empowering Minds -Society for Research and Development (EM): It is a Ghaziabad based NGO which utilizes various participatory methodologies in working with individuals and communities for empowering them to attain a better quality of life and sustained development.
• Abhinav: Based in Muzaffarnagar, it works for the creation of awareness about safe drinking water and sanitation. They teach water testing methods, and the importance of health and hygiene. They also work on skill development to empower women and on the development of the education system, supporting elderly people, improving technology and agricultural activities.
• Children: Many NGOs actively work to promote education, particularly among weaker sections of the population. The education of girls, and other deprived people, particularly the SCs and STs, has been their target objective.
• Akshaya Patra: It feeds more than 12 lakh children everyday thus contributing in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.
• Child Rights and You (CRY): It is a top NGO in India working for underprivileged children. It works on 4 key areas: Education (Right to Development), Health & Nutrition (Right to Survival), Safety & Protection (Right to Protection), Child Participation (Right to Participation).
• Elderly people: According to the National Commission on Population, the share of the elderly in India’s population, may reach 18% by 2036 and society is undergoing rapid transformation under the impact of industrialization, urbanization, technical & technological change, education and globalization. Consequently, traditional values and institutions are in the process of erosion and adaptation, resulting in the weakening of intergenerational ties. Thus, the role of NGOs in this process is important for example Help Age India, Aagan, Aasara foundation, etc.

Conclusion

It is important for NGOs to achieve and maintain a high degree of transparency in not just their work but also their finances. Also, the government must realise that seamless sharing of ideas and resources across national boundaries is essential for the functioning of a global community, and it should not be discouraged unless there is reason to believe that the funds are being misused to aid illegal activities.