People’s participation in a humanizing, equitable and environmentally sustainable
people-centered development has been recognized as a new development paradigm
today. The Non- governmental organizations with their participatory approach, people’s
mobilizing capacity, closeness to grass roots and better insights into the
needs of the people have emerged as new development paradigm agents. The
voluntary sector has evolved as a viable ‘third sector’ in the third world next
to the government sector and the private enterprises. They have emerged as a
viable institutional framework to serve as catalyst for development and change.
Despite all efforts by the governments at various levels, national
and international, through the adoption of their sound development policies,
planning and programmes aiming at alleviation of poverty, improving the quality
of life, there has been little impact on the lives of people particularly, on
the lives of the deprived, marginalized and under-privileged sections of the
society. A large section of the society is by-passed by the process of development.
The dehumanizing, inequitable and environmentally unsustainable consequences
of conventional production-centered development models stimulated a search for
an alternative development paradigm and strategy. The quest for alternative
approaches to development is also the result of continuing global economic
crisis that has put financial constraints on governments for pursuing the developmental
and social welfare endeavors. The economic crisis called for innovative, new
opportunities and alternative sources of financial mobilization. With
increasing globalization, liberalization and de-regulation, the international
forces have influenced the economic and social forces at the national and local
levels,thus resulting in an increasing disempowerment and powerlessness
of the people particularly, among the poor and marginalized sections of the
society.
There is a greater need for empowerment of these groups
economically, socially and politically. Development
of people’s organizations, i.e. the organizations, which are controlled by the
people, is an effective means of the process of empowerment. The increasing
globalization has had impacts on the functioning of the state and the market.
As the economy becomes global and market-oriented, there has been a changing
scenario of diminishing state. On the one hand, the state has been shrinking in
its functions and resources and unable to meet the growing social welfare and developmental
challenges, on the other, the profit motivated private enterprises though
expanding rapidly, however, is little concerned with the social developmental considerations
and rural development, so vital to the third world countries such as India.
Therefore, neither the state led nor the market-led model of development is
adequate in achieving the developmental goals. The role of third sector i.e.
the voluntary sector thus assumes special significance and it is widely recognized
internationally and nationally.
There is a greater need in strengthening the civil society i.e.
the associations of people, families and communities which are independent and
autonomous of the government on the one hand and economic enterprise on the
other. The Voluntary Organizations’ (VOs) and Civil Society Organizations’
(CSOs) have crucial role to play in strengthening of the civil society. The
greatest challenge however, before the VOs today, is building the civil society
and to articulate themselves in projecting the importance of civil society
vis-à-vis the state and the market.
The unprecedented population growth, an unbalanced regional development
and widening rural-urban disparities, increasing rate of unemployment and
underemployment, malnutrition, under-nutrition, a widespread of diseases and an
inadequate health and family welfare services, an inadequate availability of
safe drinking water, sanitation and a poor quality of life, increasing
incidences of violence against women, growing environmental degradation,
pollution and the resulting Eco-crisis, growing health hazards such as AIDS,
place the country at the most trying times in its history. In addition, the frequent
communal strife and terrorism in the recent decades, a growing regional
consciousness and a threat to the national integration are fast eroding away
the social fabrics of the country. The country is at the transitional phase of
development and undergoing a rapid socio- economic transformation. The forces
of modernization, technological changes industrialization has been affecting
the life styles and the social structures. There is fast loosening of the
methods of social control and breakdown of social and familial relationships.
As a result, various groups are increasingly becoming weak and the individuals
are being alienated and marginalized from the society. These social forces have
aggravated many social problems. The problems of women and children,
handicapped, youth, drug addicts, urban slum dwellers, aged and infirm, beggars
etc. have increased manifold and thus call for massive development and welfare
services to these target groups.
The alleviation of poverty, the upliftment and welfare of the
neglected, oppressed, marginalized and the weaker sections of the society
including the women, children, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and the
backward classes, landless laborers’, artisans, poor and marginal farmers etc.,
are the major concerns and the greatest challenge before the country today. The
Government faces an arduous task of helping the asset-less, poverty stricken rural
folks and the weaker sections, which urgently need viable economic assistance
to enable them to earn their living and to become self-reliant.
