Does India Need Foreign Donations?
During 2021-22, NGOs received a total of Rs 22,085 crore, the maximum ever amount in an year. Although the sum is not too large, it has the potential of creating trouble for the country. Therefore, the question arises – should India risk national security and social harmony for the sake of such an insignificant amount? India is no more an impoverished nation that needs foreign donations to sustain its population. Not a single Indian citizen starved during the Covid pandemic and all were duly vaccinated as well. We are the fifth largest economy in the world and there is no shortage of funds for social welfare, as recounted below. Government Sponsored Welfare Schemes India has a multitude of welfare and social security schemes for India's citizens. Schemes which are fully funded by the central government are referred to as ‘central sector schemes’ (CS) while schemes mainly funded by the centre and implemented by the states are called ‘centrally sponsored schemes (CSS). CSS spending in 2017-18 amounted to Rs 587,785 crore. It rose to Rs 757,091 crore in 2019- 20 while the budgeted amount for 2021-22 was a staggering Rs 1,051,703 crore. Incidentally, there were 157 CSs and CSSs with individual funding of over Rs 500 in 2022. Corporate Social Responsibility Companies with a net worth of at least Rs 500 crore, or a turnover of at least Rs 1,000 crore or a net profit of at least Rs 5 crore during any financial year are required to spend at least 2 percent of their average net profit for the immediately preceding three financial years on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities for social, environmental and economic causes. CSR programmes include activities such as supporting education, healthcare, charitable donations, sponsorships, and other forms of financial support for social services and charitable causes. 5 Since the enactment of CSR provisions in April 2014, companies have spent nearly Rs 1.27 lakh crore in a span of seven years. This money has been spent across 29 different sectors such as health, education, environment, welfare, development, and others. CSR expenditure in 2020-21 was Rs 25,715 crores, while the NGOs received Rs 17,059 crore from the foreign donors. Indian Philanthropists Ratan Tata presented Harvard Business School with a gift of USD 50 million in 2010. Naveen Jindal along with two fellow alumni made a joint gift of USD 30 million to the School of Management, Dallas in 2011. Kumar Manglam Birla donated USD 15 million in July 2019 to the London Business School. In 2010, Anand Mahindra gifted USD 10 million and the Murthy family donated USD 5.2 million to the Harvard University. These donors can be persuaded and motivated to donate money to Indian entities rather than the foreign universities, many of which are hotbed of anti-Indian cabals. As regards philanthropy within India, industrialist and founder of HCL Technologies Shiv Nadar was India’s most generous donor in 2022 with a donation of Rs 1,161 crore whereas Wipro’s Azim Premji occupied the second spot with a donation of Rs 484 crore. Mukesh Ambani donated Rs 411 crore and Kumar Mangalam Birla made a donation of Rs 242 crore. In addition, there are numerous religious and cultural trusts who are contributing to the social upliftment of the neighbouring areas. For example, Mata Vaishno Devi Board runs a 500 bed super-speciality hospital where free medical aid is provided to the needy. It also runs a nursing college and a sports stadium. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board runs a rehabilitation institute for the disabled, a home for the poor, an orphanage for the destitute, a school for the deaf and a training centre for the handicapped. In the education field, the Board is doing phenomenal service by running various professional colleges, degree colleges, junior colleges, high schools and elementary schools. Finally, all political parties are promising and providing free rations, free electricity, free bus rides and numerous other freebies. Conclusion Waging a war to destroy a country is an expensive proposition. It is much easier and cheaper to devastate an adversary from within by causing internal turmoil, creating dissentions amongst various segments of the society, and inciting people against the constitutionally established government. For that, foreign-aided NGOs are the most potent tools. Like cancerous tumours, they work silently and unobtrusively to overwhelm the body. Under the pretext of welfare activities, they implement the agenda of the donors. It is a well-documented fact that many foreign-funded NGOs have been helping Maoists and Naxalites. ISI has been funding a number of NGOs to create social upheaval in the country, both by radicalising a segment of the society as also by resorting to bomb blasts. Foreignfunded NGOs are totally responsible for the disturbances in the North East. 6 India is fully capable of looking after its population. Recently, the UN commended the remarkable achievement of India wherein a total of 415 million people moved out of poverty within just 15 years from 2005-2006 to 2019-2021. Therefore, where is the need to allow NGOs to receive foreign funds? No foreign donor is interested in India’s well-being. All foreign donations are driven by malicious agenda and the recipients have to implement it. All that talk of social equality and public welfare is sheer hogwash.
No comments:
Post a Comment