COVID-19: Despite Niti Aayog directions, Gujarat govt 'reluctant' to involve NGOs

A top Gujarat-based non-government organization (NGO) has regretted that despite clear directions from the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Niti Aayog, which is a Government of India think tank, and a subsequent letter from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), regarding importance and role of NGOs during the COVID-19 crisis, “there seems to be reluctance on the part of the State of Gujarat to collaborate with NGOs.”

A detailed letter, written by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Ahmedabad, and signed by its director Gagan Sethi, insisting on the need to take NGO support in every possible way, says, this is particularly needed in order to implement of the schemes for providing food grains to the needy during the lockdown period “to prevent the further spread of the pandemic.”
Even as appreciating Niti Ayog and NDMA effort involve NGOs, the letter wants “a better-thought-out" strategy is needed for "effective involvement". It says, instead of individual negotiation with NGOs, an open call for collaboration needs to be made, particularly the current situation requires urgent measures.
The letter comes close on the heels of a Ministry of Home Affairs asking nonprofits that have a Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence to send them information on their COVID-19 related activities by April 15, 2020; and “to do so every month thereafter as well.” This order follows an MHA announcement earlier lauding the work of civil society organisations requesting them to help the government provide support to all those affected by the pandemic.

Pointing towards areas where NGOs can help, the letter says, the assumption that migrants have reached their homes is just not true, adding, many are still in transit or stuck at their work places. The situation requires local sarpanch, police and the labour department to collaborate with NGOs to identify them and ensure their well-being. A systematic tracking through social media, news reports etc. with NGO help could be put in place for those stuck.

“In our experience, food is being provided by NGOs to migrants”, the letter says, pointing out, this is happening because "there is no clarity as to what the migrants are entitled to from the state." It adds, "Clarity at all levels is needed in this regard. Also, an information kit should be given to the migrants when they are identified and registration of their names.”
In fact, NGO volunteers can help compile “a list of workers registered under various laws like the Unorganized Workers Act 2008, the Migrant Workers Act, the Construction Workers’ Act, Contract Labourers’ Act etc. in order to facilitate their claims", asserts the letter.

GSDMA CEO Anuradha Mall, CSJ director Gagan Sethi

The letter laments, as of today, there is lack of clarity regarding the entitlements where there is a central as well as a state scheme with respect to the provision of benefits to several of the needy sections. Noting that one such section is fisherfolk, spread across Gujarat’s coast, which is 20% of the country's, it regards, it is not clear what amount of money they should be given, as there is no scheme or government resolution (GR) for them.
Then, it says, there is also lack of clarity regarding whether payments under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is to be made against the work done, and if so what kind of work would be taken from them under the present lockdown conditions, especially when there is a “high demand for sanitizers and masks” needed for the work to be undertaken under NREGA.
“Given the situation, work may not be a feasible option”, the letter empasises, adding, “Hence it is proposed that unemployment allowance be given in such cases.” At the same time, there should be a service camp under the legal services authority with NGO help in order to help urgently resolve previous payment related issues, job card discrepancies etc.
Other areas where NGOs can be of help include setting up quarantine facilities at village level primary schools, community centres etc., provision of food to school going children, widow pension, regularizing availability of vegetables, monitoring of fair price shops, helping forest dwellers get proper price for their produce, smooth functioning of primary health centres, and so on.
---
Click HERE to read full letter

Comments

No to free thought? How Gujarat's private universities are cowing down their students

"Don't protest"—that's the message private universities across Gujarat seem to be conveying to their students. A senior professor told me that students at the university where he teaches are required to sign an undertaking promising not to engage in protests. "They simply sign the undertaking and hand it over to the university authorities," he said.

Beyond the Sattvik plate: Prof Anil Gupta's take on food, ethics, and sustainability

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a rather lengthy comment (I don't want to call it a rejoinder) on my blog post about the Sattvik Food Festival, held near the Sola Temple in Ahmedabad late last year. It came from no less a person than Anil Gupta, Professor Emeritus at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), under whose guidance this annual event was held.

'Potentially lethal, carcinogenic': Global NGO questions India refusing to ban white asbestos

Associated with the Fight Inequality Alliance, a global movement that began in 2016 to "counter the concentration of power and wealth among a small elite", claiming to have members in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, the Philippines, and Denmark, the advocacy group Confront Power appears all set to intensify its campaign against India as "the world’s largest asbestos importer".

In lieu of tribute to Pritish Nandy, said to be instrumental in collapse of Reliance-controlled daily

It is widely reported that Pritish Nandy , journalist, author, animal activist, and politician, has passed away. While it is customary to pay tributes to a departing soul—and I, too, have joined those who have posted heartfelt condolences on social media—I cannot forget the way he treated me when he was editor of the Reliance-controlled Business and Political Observer (BPO), for which I had been working informally in Moscow.

Shyam Benegal's Mathan a propaganda film that supported 'system'? No way

A few days ago, I watched Manthan, a Shyam Benegal movie released in 1976. If I remember correctly, the first time I saw this movie was with Safdar Hashmi, one of the rare young theater icons who was brutally murdered in January 1989. Back then, having completed an M.A. in English Literature from Delhi University in 1975, we would often move around together.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Sattvik Food Festival: Shouldn't one question notion of purity, cultural exclusion in food choices?

Recently, I visited the Sattvik Food Festival, an annual event in Ahmedabad organized by Anil Gupta, professor emeritus at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A). I have known Prof. Gupta since 1993, when I sought an appointment to meet him a few months after joining The Times of India in Ahmedabad—one reason why I have always been interested in the activities he is involved in.

To be or not to be Sattvik: Different communities' differing notions of purity and fasting

This is a continuation of my last blog on Sattvik food. When talking about Sattvik, there is a tendency to overlook what it may mean to different sections of people around the world. First, let me redefine Sattvik: it means having a "serene, balanced, and harmonious mind or attitude." Derived from the Sanskrit word sattva, it variously means "pure, essence, nature, vital, energy, clean, conscious, strong, courage, true, honest, and wise." How do people achieve this so-called purity? Among Gujarati Hindus, especially those from the so-called upper castes who are vegetarians, one common way is fasting. On fasting days, such as agiyarash —the 11th day of the lunar cycle in the Vedic calendar—my close relatives fast but consume milk, fruit juices, mangoes, grapes, bananas, almonds, pistachios, and potato-based foods, including fried items. Another significant fasting period is adhik maas. During this time, many of my relatives "fast" by eating only a single me...

Challenging patriarchy? Adopting maternal and marital surnames: Resistance continues

Anandiben Patel The other day, I was talking with a group of family friends. The discussion revolved around someone very close to me who had not changed her official name in documents, including her Aadhaar and passport, after her marriage. However, on social media and within her husband's family, she had adopted her husband's surname as a suffix to her own. I mentioned that there is a growing trend—though not yet widespread—where women prefer to retain their maiden names or add their maiden surnames alongside their husband's surname. Another emerging trend is where men choose to add their mother's name, or even their wife's name, to their own. This revelation surprised my family friends.

Search This Blog