Orissa Govt., NGOs on collision course

By Our Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR, APRIL 21. The voluntary organisations working in Orissa and the State Government are on a collision course since the State Assembly recently adopted a resolution empowering the Government to bring in new legislation to make the non-government organisations accountable to the government for their performance as well as financial conduct.

Representatives of several prominent non-government organisations met the Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, on Saturday to express their anguish over the move to bring in a new law, and before a proper legislation is enacted, issue executive instructions to make the NGOs accountable to the Government.

In a memorandum, the delegation told Mr. Patnaik that any step to hold the voluntary organisations accountable to the State Government would obviously amount to regulating and controlling activities of the non-State associations beyond the limits of State action as decreed in the Constitution. They also urged Mr. Patnaik to encourage the voluntary agencies to evolve their own regulatory mechanism and systems of credibility rating at various levels as part of civil society engagement.

The delegation also requested the Chief Minister to revive the NGO Coordination Cell of the Government which was non- functional during the past three years. The NGO Coordination Cell should be revived and shifted out of the Department of Planning and Coordination and relocated in the Chief Minister's Office, they said.

They further demanded that steps must be taken to ensure that any executive instruction emanating from the Government should have the written approval of the Chief Minister.

Addressing a press conference after submitting the memorandum to Mr. Patnaik, the delegation members said that the Chief Minister gave them a patient hearing and assured that the NGO representatives would be consulted before any further decision was taken on the issue.

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