Mechanism to monitor NGOs vital

An Intelligence Bureau Report in the prestigious magazine, Frontline of July 11 reveals that certain NGOs and individuals are working against India's national interest.

The Report has raised very serious issues which are relevant to India's development and as such it has become obligatory on the part of the authorities to act.

In the national interest it is important, to monitor the role of NGOs, their source of funding and activities, the Report said.

The need for a proper mechanism to closely examine and monitor the role and activities of all NGOs and that the funds they receive are used for the right causes is vital.

The Report said, "A significant number of Indian NGOs (funded by some donors based in the US, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries) have been noticed to be using people-centric issues to create an environment which lends itself to stalling development projects."

It goes on to specify the projects thus: "These include agitations against nuclear power plants, uranium mines, coal-fired power plants (CFPPs), genetically modified organisms (GMOs), mega industrial projects (Posco and Vedanta), hydel projects (at Narmada Sagar and in Arunachal Pradesh) and extractive industries (oil, limestone) in the north-east. Thus making clear what and whose concerns were being addressed, the report concludes with the estimation that "the negative impact on GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth is assessed to be 2-3 percent per annum".