IJDTSW Vol.1 No.3 pp.35 to 60 December 2012
State, Tribe and Voluntary Organisation Interface: Insights from Grant-in-Aid Scheme for Tribal development
Abstract
This paper encapsulates the role of the State in facilitating tribal development with a specific focus on the Grant-in-Aid scheme instituted for voluntary organizations working for Schedule Tribes. It examines empirical data drawn from 146 voluntary organizations working for the welfare of the Schedule Tribes across 26 states. Data is presented in the context of the specified objectives, methodology and overall findings organized and presented based on different focuses of the GIA Scheme. This is followed by a critical reformulation of strategic trends in the forms of recommendations for the effective Grant-in-Aid policy towards enhancing government and voluntary partnership towards the upliftment of the Scheduled Tribes. This article attempts to provide a comprehensive analysis of various findings and proposes recommendations at macro policy and micro management process.
Alex Akhup , Assistant Professor,
Centre for Social Justice and Governance,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
Introduction
In keeping with the principle and the spirit of the Constitution, Government of India is committed to the welfare and development of the scheduled tribes of the country who have been marginalized and neglected as a group due to their economic backwardness and geographical isolation. The government has made consistent efforts to bring to reality the provisions laid down by the Constitution towards development and protection of scheduled tribes since the time of the enforcement of the constitution. It takes upon itself the responsibility of reaching to the farthest ends and corners of its land surface and people from the time of its Independence in order to guarantee its people social justice and development. It stands by the spirit of the Constitution to correct the injustice and neglect meted out to them in the process of common development paradigm. It takes uncompromising stand towards protection from every form of exploitation as directed by the Constitution.
During the last six decades, various policies and programmes have emerged. Worth mentioning among them is the Fifth Five-year Plan which recognized context specific planning and administration1. In the 10th Five year plan, three-pronged strategy of social empowerment, economic empowerment and social justice was launched for the upliftment of scheduled tribes. It is in this context that this ‘Scheme of Grant-in-aid to Voluntary Organizations, working for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes’ was established in 1953-54 under the Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Education and Social Welfare. In 1985 the Ministry was renamed as Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Considering the context and uniqueness of the population in question, Ministry of Tribal Affairs was established in 1999 as the nodal Ministry for the welfare and development of the Scheduled Tribes. Since then, the scheme under study is within the purview of Ministry of Tribal Affairs2.
Notwithstanding the efforts made in the last six decades, the reality of tribes in India is still an issue that requires a definitive pro tribal policy, community empowerment programme and a consistent system. In fact, the present context of globalization and liberalization has thrown up newer challenges rendering the task more difficult. The issue of poverty, ignorance, illiteracy, indebtedness, neglect, exploitation, displacement is still prevalent.
Given this scenario, it becomes critical to engage in understanding the entire processes taken for protection and development of scheduled tribes.
Government Intervention Paradigm: A Case Study of Gant-in-Aid Scheme
This part of analysis is drawn from the empirical study conducted on the ‘Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organizations Working for the Scheduled Tribes’. The study assessed the policy and implementation of the scheme. It inquired into the functioning of system of grant giving and implementing agencies – Ministry, States and Voluntary Organizations. It dwelt with implementation processes focusing on stakeholders, beneficiary perception and the overall utilization of the scheme.
Given the complexity, size and multiplicity of projects in the scheme, a representative study approach was used. Every attempt was made to cover maximum number of the universe of the study. The study basically used two methods for data collection: (a) an in-depth interview through field visits and (b) mailed questionnaire. Mailed questionnaire was used for those organizations where visits were not carried out.
The States receiving grant allocation in 2005-06 were taken as the universe of the study. These States were listed, and selected randomly using the criteria of fund allocation and population. The States with higher concentration of tribal population and higher grant allocation i.e., 50 lakhs and above and more than 20% of the tribal population, were taken as one group and remaining States as the second group. The first group of States (70% of the total States/UT i.e., 18 States) was visited and the second group (30% i.e., 8 States) was administered mailed questionnaire. With the intention of maximum coverage of the universe (146 organizations of the first group), 38% (against proposed 40%) of organizations (i.e. 55 organizations) were visited for an in–depth inquiry. There are 246 projects currently (2005-06) funded by the Ministry and it was proposed to cover 40% of the 246 projects. However, during and after the data collection process, 281 projects were found existing in actual (counting centers and units). Out of 281, 99 projects (35%) were visited and data of 40 projects (15%) was received through mailed questionnaire. The overall sample size of the organizations and projects included in the study is 55% and 50% respectively and the overall coverage in the study on total fund sanctioned and released is 62%.
The respondents of the study for interview and focused group discussions were selected from the State Offices of Tribal Development, Organizations and Villages based on availability, capability and willingness to participate in the study. Considering the massive size and diversity of the universe, different categories of respondents were identified. They are a) President/Secretary of the Organization (83), b) Project Staff (98), c) Beneficiaries (532), c) Community Leaders (40) and State Officials (14). 36 FGDs were also conducted with various Community leaders, youth groups, women groups and parents.
Empirical Data
Grant-in-Aid Scheme
The Government of India under the department of Social Welfare instituted the scheme of Grant-in-aid3 to Voluntary organizations working for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in 1953-54. It was an initiative of partnership with voluntary organizations towards working for the upliftment of the scheduled tribes. The prime objective of the scheme is to provide for an overall improvement and development of the Scheduled Tribes through voluntary efforts working in the field of education, health & sanitation, environment, in addition to need based socio-economic upliftment efforts and other relevant activities deemed appropriate and of direct benefit to the target group.
The scheme has 27 projects/activities. The projects primarily centers around four sectors; education, health, sanitation and training programmes (activities related to socio-economic upliftment). Education sector has three main projects namely, Residential Schools, Non-residential schools and Hostels. Health sector has 10 Bedded Hospital, 20 bedded hospital, 50 bedded hospital, 60 bedded hospital and Mobile Dispensary. The remaining projects are related to training for livelihood enhancement. There are also few projects on other development related programmes in the area of sanitation and sustainable development.
The policy decision and planning with regard to grant-in-aid for the voluntary organizations was carried under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment till 1999. In 1999, the Government of India, realizing the complexity, magnitude and uniqueness of the scheduled tribes, instituted the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to be the nodal Ministry to cater to the matters concerning the scheduled tribes in the country. Since then the grant-in-aid scheme was administered by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The Ministry has been running this scheme successfully for the last two 9th and 10th Plan consecutive Five Year plans.
In order to attain efficacy, lately the Ministry has undergone a thorough review on the process of the grant-in-aid giving system. It has been felt that there should be more proactive role of the state and Union Territories through decentralized procedure for receipt, identification, scrutiny and sanction of proposals of Non-Governmental Organizations for the scheme.
Therefore in the financial year 2005-2006, a new system was put in placed for better implementation of the scheme. In this new system, the State/ UT Governments have constituted “State Committee for Supporting Voluntary Efforts” referred to as ‘Committee’. This committee is chaired by the Principal Secretary/ Secretary of the State. There are five others of which three are from the reputed Voluntary Organizations. From 2005-06 this committee has started engaging in the process of the grant-in-aid proposals under the guidelines issued on 2.6.2005. The committee recommends selected proposals, the new as well as the ongoing cases, to the Ministry.
The Role of VOS
The role of the VOs in the welfare and development of the scheduled tribes was there from the very beginning. It is observed distinctly that a persistent leaning towards the voluntary sector in the efforts towards the overall development of the scheduled tribes in the history of the five year plans had taken place. This has picked up momentum especially during the last two decades due to the mushrooming of the reputed and well organized VOs working for the welfare of the scheduled tribes. This is a significant approach of government to utilize and mobilize the spirit of voluntarism that existed in the ethos of the Indian society which is written in the freedom movement and witnessed by the freedom fighters. After Independence, the spirit of voluntarism in the country gave birth to various individual and group/community based organizations emerging as a natural response to the contextual social issues and problems. Many of these organizations acquired legal status under various Acts like Society Registration Act 1886, Trust Act, Company Act etc. Since then there has been phenomenal growth in the number of voluntary organizations, known by various nomenclatures such as Voluntary Agencies, Non-Governmental organizations, Civil Society, Non-Profit organization and other community/local based organizations (Referred here as voluntary organizations, VOs).
The VOs emerged as a response to the social problems. They are marked by commitment to the cause for which they have originated. They have vision and mission and commitment to effective service delivery with the overall objective of bringing about the desired social and economic changes among the target groups. There is, among them, a continuous struggle to respond to the social problems professionally which is seen by the number of trained professionals entering the Voluntary sector and the mushrooming of VOs who profess to be agents of social change. This phenomenon has created an environment of competition among them and consequential professionalization of the field.
Fired by their missionary zeal and enthusiasm, they are able to reach out to the most unreachable and remotest areas. They are well connected with people at grassroots level. They have knowledge and understanding about people and their problems. They are able to make inroads into the far-flung remote areas so much so that there is hardly any place or village where VOs have not reach in the country at this point of time. In fact they can do, what in most cases, the government is unable to do.
The government is making every effort to organize the VO sector by entering into dialogue and sharing of responsibilities in working for the welfare and development of the scheduled tribes. A number of such organizations are coming forward to participate in the stated task. This can be testified by the increasing number of organizations applying for the grant-in-aid. The Government has in fact come up with the idea of recognizing the well reputed organizations in the field, working for upliftment of the tribals. They are identified as the ‘Established Voluntary Agencies’ (EVA). At present there are 14 such organizations in the record of the Ministry. They are (as given in the Annual Report 2005-06):
Going by the records of the government and the VOs, it is important to note that during the last six decades, the contribution of VOs in the social and economic development of the country is tremendous. They have been able to play a catalytic role in the development process of scheduled tribes particularly in areas of education, health, training and income generation activities. They have successfully carried out their duties as partners in development with the Government especially in ‘Reaching the Services to the Un-reached’ (10th Plan Approach Paper) in far-flung inaccessible areas and in developing and experimenting alternative project models to match the needs of the local people.
The government of India has acknowledged the valuable contribution of the VOs in responding to development questions of scheduled tribes. A major concrete move was made towards this partnership/sharing responsibility between the government and VOs towards welfare of the scheduled tribes who constitute the group to be priority one in development context in the 10th Plan4. VOs are considered as the ‘only medium to reach the un-reached’ and experiment/develop alternative models to match the local tribal people and their needs. The Approach Paper, further states that the ‘VOs will, therefore, be encouraged to play an effective role in improving the status of tribals in the areas of education, health, nutrition, employment and income-generation, besides sensitizing the administrative machinery and conscientizing the tribals to realize their rights and potential besides safeguarding them from social and economic exploitation’ (10th Plan Approach Paper).
Profile of the Chief Functionaries of VOs: From the five identified regions, it was found that in the overall sampled VOs, 83% were male officials, indicating that most of the VOs were male headed. The percentage of female officials accounts for only 17% out of the total sample size of 83 organizations. This clearly reflects on male dominancy of VOs across the States in the country, working for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes.
Data revealed that majority of the officials are in the age group of 36 years and above and there are a significant number of officials who are above 56 years of age (31%). One could infer that most of these officials have both experience and age but the same also indicates that there is an increasingly ageing population taking up leadership for voluntary work with Tribal communities.
Field data reflects that majority (48%) of the organizations are headed by individuals and groups from the general category. The majority belongs to Hindus (83%), followed by Christians (8.4%), Buddhists (7.2%) and Muslims (1.2%). Only 29% of officials are Tribals. Officials who are Hindu by religion, and identified as general caste by Community are seen to be the most prevalent group among those who are chief functionaries. It must be noted that the overall trend that emanate from the data reveals a minuscule representation of Tribal groups in higher levels of authority and decision making processes within the samples.
Out of the 83 officials of VOs interviewed, only 13 (15.7%) have completed professional course which was recognized at the level of either graduate or post-graduate level courses. Among the professional courses, officials have completed a Master’s Degree in Social Work, Engineering, Management studies, Medicine and Law. Many of the officials have long years of work-experience. While higher education or the professional training may not be necessary and important for the volunteerism, however, with the growing need of an expert workforce in human service organizations, the same is becoming increasingly imperative to have trained people not only in service delivery but also in policy making.
Many organizations were established as early as 1920s and 1930s. There are 18% of VOs registered before 1950. Many of the VOs were established in 1980 and 1990s. Out of the 83 VOs, 59% (49) are registered with 80G of the Income Tax Act 1961 and 61.4% (51) of the VOs possess FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 1976) registration.
Majority of the VOs have adopted an integrated approach of charity, development and right-based together. Many of these organizations were established in 1980 and 1990s though there were some organizations that were established during the same time adopting specifically approaches that are rooted within a charity and welfare perspective. There were a significant number of VOs that were specifically established with a development perspective. The rights approach has not been given too much focus. Currently, with a focus on social justice, the rights approach is being incorporated in the overall development initiative.
Resource Status and Fund Mobilization: The data from 2002-03 to 2005-06 shows that the government of India has released Rs. 39.90 crore to voluntary Organizations under GIA Scheme. For the year 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05, government has released 7-8 crores per year. But in the year 2005-06 the amount has doubled to 15.94 crores.
It was found that Voluntary Organizations have been mobilizing resources from various sources i.e. government and non-government sources. Majority (57%) of the VOs have budget the amount below 30 lakhs (14.5 below 10 lakhs while 32.5 of them have 10 to 30 lakhs within their total budget). There were some organizations with a budget of more than 30 lakhs. About 10% of the organizations have a budget of one crore and above.
Sources of Funding: It was found that most of the VOs across regions depend on the Government of India for financial resources. Some of the VOs heavily relied on State government (24.1%) funding. Further, a significant number of VOs received private funding (26.5%), foreign funding (19.3%) and private donations (36.6%). It is important to note that though 61.4% of the organizations are registered with FCRA, only 19.3% of them availed of foreign funding. However, it is encouraging to see that a good percentage of organizations receive private donations and private funding.
Profile of the Staff: This process carried forth, permitted the identification of Schedule Tribe personnel employed within the VOs and the voluntary sector in general, across projects in the country. Data of 1782 personnel has been observed in relation to their salary positions. It has been noted that there is a significant low percentage of distribution among the STs, SCs and the OBCs as the amount of salary increases beyond Rs.6001/- per month till the range of Rs.24000/- per month. In six different salaried categories, infact, there is a complete absence of other groups except the general category who receives very high salaries.
Overall distribution shows that there is 26.4% STs at different salary groups, 11.1% SCs and 12.7% OBCs. It has been noted that there were almost 50% (49.7%) of the subjects who belong to the general category who were also better placed towards the high salaried group of people under study. The distribution of the tribe/caste status of personnel was established so that majority (49.7%) of them falls within the general category. The said caste group represents the highest percentage in all the categories of personnel.
Physical Infrastructure (Buildings): From out of the five identified regions, most of the VOs have their own official buildings (49.4%) and other VOs (39.8%) had rented buildings. Some of the VOs (6%) have leased office space and buildings from the State governments.
Monitoring of the Projects:The monitoring processes have taken place at different levels. This was carried out by different agencies using various methods. Field observations concur with the above stated responses. Further, suggestions on streamlining of monitoring systems by officials were also captured and verified as shown in the Table below.
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Table No. 1
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| Agencies | Methods | Suggestions |
| A) Internal monitoring by Organizations | 4. Interaction with Community members as and when required | 1. Students’ suggestion box in the schools/hostels |
| 5. Parent’s meeting | 2. Participation of young people in managing Committee | |
| B) Monitoring by State and Central govt. | 1. Quarterly or half yearly inspection | 1. More transparent procedures |
| 2. Once a year inspection | 2. State Committee should facilitate the process of communication with MTA. Currently it is becoming source of delay | |
| 3. Every year new project proposal | 3. MTA should have monitoring team | |
| 4. Endorsed by the collector | ||
| C) State Committee | ||
1. Monitoring by the State Committee
- State Committee should scrutinize the projects.
- Not in favor of State Committee
Some of the Common Difficulties Encountered by VOs During Implementation Process are; Discontinuation and delay in release of grants by MTA, delay in sanctioning as it goes through many bureaucratic levels, tedious process, as there is an increase paper work and red tapism, low budgetary allocation on salary of staff, difficulty in finding motivated and professional staff, who are willing to work in Tribal areas, food and miscellaneous allowance is very low, inadequate critical infrastructure especially water and electricity, decrease involvement of parents due to high illiteracy, minimal training and capacity building assistance from the government, attaching a residential component to every non residential school, prevalence of corruption and political interference in grant giving process, increase need to focus on women and girl child education, inability to meet increased cost of medicines, fluctuating and instable law and order situation in the State, poor transport infrastructure leading to decrease mobility during rainy season and inadequate medical facilities.
Organizational Status:
Specific Suggestion given by Organizations: The following are the suggestions given by organizations in improving the Scheme.
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Table No. 1
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| Areas of suggestions | Suggestions | Occur-rence |
| Funding | 1. Fund should be released on time | 26 |
| 2. No problem with present system | 12 | |
| 3. First installments can be released early | 6 | |
| 4. EVA/ ongoing project should get grant on regular basis | 4 | |
| 5. Some accounts head can be changed, made more flexible | 8 | |
| 6. Increased salary of the staff | 5 | |
| 7. Increased allocation for food and other recurring items | 3 | |
| 8. Time allocated for spending of grant should increased from 18 to 24 months | 2 | |
| 9. Fund can be distributed at district leve | 1 | |
| Outreach | Focus of the Scheme should be the Tribal people | 18 |
| Social justice/importance to primitive/poor Tribes | 10 | |
| Educational project should be given importance | 4 | |
| Marginalized sections like women should be given preference | 4 | |
| More projects in MADA and low literacy pockets and remote areas | 2 | |
| Linkages with govt. agencies | 2 | |
| Mid day meal should be more nutritious | 1 | |
| Participation | Involvement of the Community by celebrating festivals and cultural events | 2 |
| Improvement of team work, capacity building of staff and trainings to staff | 3 | |
| Meeting of State/central level with organizations for discussions | 2 | |
| Any Other | 4 year old organizations should be recognized as EVA | 2 |
| Use of technology like website, e-mail ,etc | 1 | |
2. The Scheme and Its Implementation
Grant Giving System
In the study it was observed that Ministry has made an important move to decentralize the system of grant giving from 2005-06. Before 2005-06, the organizations were directly applying to the Ministry for the Grant-in-Aid. The Ministry felt the need for viable system, involving the State and district officers for the effective implementation of the Scheme in the principle of federalism. This new system consists of three-tier systems; district level, State level, and the centre.
District Level: District Commissioner plays an important role in the inspection and monitoring of the organizations applying/implementing the Grant-in-Aid Scheme for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes. The DC and his junior subordinates is empowered to inspect the ongoing and the new proposals. He prepares an inspection report of all the new and ongoing projects of GIA.
State Committee Level: A clear direction was given to all the States on the formation of State Committee for managing the grant. Committee should be empowered inter-disciplinary/inter-sectoral group. The Committee meets once or twice in a year for project screening. The screening is done on the basis of the inspection report of the DC and independent field visits. The Committee screens through the projects and prioritizes them in order of need (service deficient areas). The selected projects are then recommended to the Ministry for funding. All the States visited had constituted State Committees to monitor the Scheme. However, it should be noted that not all the Committees were clear about the role of the Committee. Some State Committees were still passive about the Scheme.
Central Government: The main job of the Ministry is to fund the projects as recommended by the State Committee in order of priority. The Ministry does not screen the projects. It identifies the projects which are most needed. Due to the limited Grant-in-Aid amount, the Centre may not fund all the projects which have been recommended by the State Committee. In 2005-06 the Ministry has funded only the ongoing projects in order of priority.
Projects
The Scheme consists of 27 different specific projects. They can be grouped basically into three different sectors of development; education, health, training for livelihood skills and other development related projects on sanitation, environment, drinking water and legal redressal services.
In 2005-06, the Ministry funded only 164 organizations and 246 projects across the States. This year onwards, in an effort to consolidate the available grant for the said objective, priority has been given only to the ongoing projects for the receipt of the grant. Presently 23 projects out of 27 projects are implemented by various organizations across the States. The projects in education sector comprising of Residential School, Non-Residential School and Hostel outnumber the rest of the projects in implementation. This sector accounts for 54% of the total number of projects implemented across the States. This implies that a majority of organizations are working in the area of Tribal education. Health Sector Projects is the second most viable projects implemented across States. It accounts for 25% of the total number of projects implemented. There are different types of projects focusing on skill training and livelihood building. They range from computer training to weaving. This sector accounts for about 20% of the total number of projects implemented across States.
Coverage: It is observed that five different projects, namely, Residential School, Non-Residential School, Hostel, Mobile Dispensary and 10 Bedded Hospital are spread across the five regions; North-Eastern, southern, Northern, Western, and Central and Eastern. Central and eastern region is seen as the region covered extensively. The overall coverage of the projects across regions is 37% for Central and Eastern, 27% for Northeastern, 14% for Southern, 12% for Northern and 10% for Western regions.
There is significant coverage of the project to the rural areas (69%) in education sector. Residential Schools and Hostels have wide and extensive coverage of rural areas (86% and 60% respectively). Mobile dispensaries in health sector have wide spread across States and regions. It is seen that mobile dispensary has a very significant coverage of the remote (72%) and rural areas (82%) while 10 Bedded Hospitals are usually located in urban and town/city areas (55%). Computer training has the largest takers in terms of implementation. The coverage of the training projects is observed even to the remote area. In some places, it has become part of the school curriculum. Typing, shorthand training and weaving has been also given some focus. The overall coverage of the training projects to rural and remote area is very significant (74%).
Impact of the Scheme: There is a significant indication of the availability of basic infrastructures like cupboards/filing cabinets, telephone and computers as requirement for the effective implementation of the Scheme. It is also further noticed that the mentioned facilities are better seen in the Residential Schools and hostels. The Non-residential schools show poor basic infrastructure availability. In the following lines, it is seen that there is an indication of the provision of the various accommodation facilities. In these observations, majority of the organizations running the residential school have reported better availability of the basic facilities for accommodations which is provided. This study has found out projects in education that has had very profound impact on the people. There has been an increasing trend of enrolment and students passing out. The dropout of the student which usually is considered a major problem among schools in the Tribal areas is seen as declining. Enrolment of girls also shows an increased trend. However, it calls for attention that in a five-point scale, 60% of investigators have given ‘2’ points to the quality of basic infrastructure and the facilities provided in the education sector.
A majority (80%) of the Doctors are male. The number of women doctors and gynaecologist is very insignificant. Doctor-patient ratio per year has been calculated as 1:8052. There has been an observable increase in the number of people seeking the health services. It is noteworthy that 50% of the training centre visited has sufficient basic infrastructure. A majority (60%) of them are offering apprenticeship and job placement. However the intake of students (enrolment) has shown decrease during the last two years.
Project Budget Provision: Observation on data of 83 organizations on project budget sanction and expenditure indicate that education sector gets major grant allotment (66%). Health sector receives 24% and training sector receives 10%. The allotment of grant to these sectors has been raised from 24% in the first two years to 26% in the second two years under observation.
Delay and discontinuity of the grant has been cited by majority of the organizations as impediments to effective implementation of the projects (refer annexure table on overall funding pattern). In some cases, this has created a debt- trap situation, especially, for the smaller organizations. Data also shows that many organizations are spending more than the sanctioned budget. The EVAs have incurred greater amount of expenditure than the non-EVAs. They are able to incur extra expenditure on the implementation of the projects and delay of grant concern them less. In general, majority of the organizations visited felt the need to revise the budget head of the projects to suit the increasing price of the commodities.
Beneficiary and Stake holder’s Perception and Utilization
Project Efficacy and Implications
Utilization of the Services
Gender Sensitivity
Tribal families across the country were reported to have become more conscious and aware of the need for education, especially for the girl child, and are increasingly sending their children to the residential education programmes. There were a few organizations that focused only on girl students without any male intake. As regards health services, data and field observations reflected a very similar picture across the States. Women accessed these services much more than men from both 10 Bedded Hospitals and Mobile Dispensaries. While such services have played somewhat of a crucial role in reducing the health burden for a number of Tribal families, field observations and beneficiary reports points to the fact that a sense of inadequacy still prevails among Community members. With the exception of a few organizations, others were reported to have provided sub-standard service and were also very irregular in providing the said service.
Perception on the Overall Policy and Implementation
Perception and Responsibilities of the Project Staff
State Committees’ Perception and Responsibility
Constitution of State Committees and Responsibilities: It has been observed that the constitution of State Committeesis as per the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. In five States namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, it has been recorded that the Committee is comprised of basically three individuals from the VOs selected by the Secretary. Most State Committee members opined that there is a very limited role for the State officials in the current role and functioning of the State Committee. An outstanding observation was made in the case of Mizoram, where it has been noted that there is an active participation of the Community in place of any VOs operating in the State Committee. All the States under study had functioning Committees, although discrepancies in seriousness of the purpose exist.
Application and Screening Process: In the States under study, viz., Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Tripura and Sikkim, every States was noted to have its own specific means of application and screening process. Some of the common characteristics found among States are in the case of Assam, Orissa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland where the application is being received by the Secretary of the State. In the case of Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura, it has been observed that the VOs send the applications/proposals to the district collectors which are then referred to the State Committee. In the case of Tripura, it has been noted that the applications are sorted out depending on the EVA and non-EVA status and the selected VOs are referred to the State minister looking after the portfolio of Tribal development. It has been registered that the States of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa insists on the recommendation of the MTA as a process of application and screening process within States. In Manipur and Orissa, the application and the screening includes scrutinization by the STWD in line with the financial norms of the State Committee. In the case of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland it has been noted that there exists a District Tribal Welfare Officer who inspects the site of the project guidelines. In the State of Arunachal Pradesh, the State identifies the needs of the Community and plans activity that match with the concerned VO’s expertise.
Specific Guidelines and Criteria used for Selecting VOs: Guidelines and criteria used by the State Committees during the selection process reflect a rich diversity and versatility in the nature of the process. MTA guidelines are found to be the common guidelines across States. However, it is noted that there is no ‘specific criteria’ for selection in any of the 16 States under study. Majority of the States recommend VOs to MTA based on VOs experience, reputation and the relevance of the concerned project. It has been noted that Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat insists on specific application forms as prescribed by the State Committee. In Manipur and Meghalaya, financial stability has been taken as the most crucial criteria during the process of selection.
Monitoring System and Process: Across the 16 States under study it has been inferred that the monitoring system varies in dimensions. It has also been observed that certain States, also prepared monitoring indicators which also differs from other States. Five States namely, Assam, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Manipur, Nagaland and Orissa, was recorded to have officials paying visits to the project sites at least once in a year. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra registered visitations at least twice in a year. Remaining States were found to have visitations ranging from monthly basis to bimonthly basis. Gujarat registered that there is continuous mapping and updating of service deficient areas in various sectors along with the Health Commissioner and Director Training and Development inspecting the quality of services provided.
Remarkable finding of the study is in the case of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland where there was recorded lack of coordination between MTA, State and the VOs in the process of information about selected VOs and fund allocation. In Arunachal Pradesh, village institutions were also found to be involved in monitoring process acting as feedback systems. Similarly, in Karnataka, there exist a cross-evaluation and feedback from beneficiaries on the quality of services with special emphasis on the health sector. Mizoram was unique in the sense that various Community groups acted as both formal and informal monitoring systems and there was increased transparency, accountability and predictability enforced indirectly on the VOs because of the same.
Funding Allocation: The MTA had not kept the State Committee informed and updated about the funding process and State Committees across the regions reported that they are not aware about what VO have been selected for funding, who has received it and the current position of funding status.
Mapping Service Deficient Area: It was found that most of the State Committees, with the exception of the Gujarat State Committee, relied on District Commissioners’ Inspection Report in identifying ‘service deficient areas’ in the process of prioritizing the projects. Gujarat State reported that the State Committee is in possession of the data of service deficient areas updated frequently across the Tribal inhabited districts.
The study found out various procedural problems and the need for change at the State level. They are as follows:-
For Constitution of State Committees
For Application and Screening Process
For Specific Guidelines and Criteria for Selection of VOs
For Monitoring Systems and Process
Perception of the Scheme: Across the regions, it was found that all State Committees held the view that the GIA Scheme was highly relevant and effective. It was, however, Stated that the total fund allocation to a State should be increased and the formulae used to allocate fund needs to be immediately reviewed. It was felt that the disparity in the overall fund allocation to a State was unfair, keeping in mind, population size, human development indexes, sparseness of the area and terrain.
Community’s Perception and Utilization
Nature of Association between the Community and Voluntary Organizations: Within the GIA projects, inclusive of all sectors, it has been reported that a close relationship between the Community and the VOs have developed over time. Data reveals that members of the Community across age groups and regions points to the fact that both have invested efforts together in creating an awareness about the GIA Scheme especially on education and also in increasing the participation of Community members in the specified projects.
The VOs have been providing various training programmes to selected Community members especially leaders, and motivating them towards actively participating in the intervention process for the successful implementation of programs. Community members have assisted VOs in the selection of the beneficiaries, especially those falling Below the Poverty Line (BPL) and other backward communities. This identification has helped some of the VOs to focus their resource on special groups that would need the interventions more than others. Field base reports of investigators corroborate this finding and in consonance with the same, benefits derived by low income groups within the Community have been observed.
In the process of association between the Community and the VOs, it was found that the Community members have practically assisted in the selection process of other beneficiaries and have also attended various meetings scheduled for discussing the implementation of the projects. In the area of VOs providing health care services especially mobile clinics, Community has jointly organized awareness programmes on the same and have actively facilitated the process of creating the environment for Community members to accessed these services.
Process of Implementation: It was found across the regions that the implementation process begun with the identification of beneficiaries and others that would benefit from the services of the VOs especially BPL families. The VOs organized various awareness programs which include joint meetings with Community, recreational activities in the village and also short term motivational training programs. They also volunteered their service by supervising the Community and adding needed expert inputs on various issues that would benefit the Community.
Community-VO Partnerships in the Project: VOs were perceived by the Community as being of two types; one, those from within the Community and the other, those from outside the Community. The processes of partnership and collaboration between VOs from outside the Community were understood to be mutual and cooperative. Moral support to the projects was given by the Community to the VOs. There were joint meetings with the Community on issues that concern both. There was participation in awareness building programs conducted by the VOs and on the identification processes in the Community of those families and individuals below the poverty line.
For the VOs identified as from within the Community, collaborations were in Community’s active participation in the monitoring process of the work of the organizations and especially in the area of identifying girl child and facilitating and furthering their educational needs.
Attitude and Involvement level of the Community: Data revealed that in a few places across regions, the Community had actively involved itself with the work of the VOs and in some specific projects the involvement level was very high especially in mobile dispensary and residential schools. Throughout the process of involvement, women’s participation was reportedly more than men and many other Community members Stated that they have assisted the program in their own small ways ranging from awareness building to direct volunteerism. The Community greatly appreciated the participatory methods used by some VOs to involve Community at decision making and process of service provisions. Collated together, the Community members did have a sense of ownership over the programs and projects within their area of habitation.
On the other hand, Community members opined and admitted that at times Community’s participation is somewhat vague as they were not very clear about their roles in relation to VOs work. This sometimes leads to misunderstanding and even non-cooperation from the Community. While the same was reported across regions, there was however no reports of any major conflict between Community and VOs across the regions in the country.
Strategy of Ensuring Community’s Participation in Projects: It was found that across regions, most VOs did invest a lot of their resources and energy to facilitate Community’s participation. Data reveals that the VOs have frequent interactions and meetings through camps with Tribal leaders in the Community and in many occasions VOs have also seeked both permission and advice from Community leaders on various matters concerning their work. Many VOs participate actively in Community programmes and festivals. This was dependent on whether the VOs are from within or from outside. However, VOs were guarded about their funding source and amount possessed.
In many cases across regions, data reveals that VOs have employed Community members in their projects and as part of their various programs, family visits were paid to increase the participation of Community members.
Community’s Self-reliance vis-à-vis Felt Needs of Project: It was found that while the efforts of outside VOs were highly appreciated, yet it was important to recognize the fact that processes of assisting Community in its voluntary efforts from within and among its own members was crucial in developing the Community. Data revealed that giving to the Community the necessary help to run its own programs could reduce Community dependency on outside agencies. There was report across the regions especially by youth groups that some of the VOs were very arrogant and insensitive towards Community.
It was reported by respondents across regions that most of the work of the VOs is towards supplementing the other programs of the State and should not become a mainstay in either of the identified sectors. In this context it was established that in order to tie up shortage of funds available with the Community through State, VOs help is desirable. Throughout the country it was interesting to note that most of the respondents across Tribal groups, age and gender opined that as the Tribal situation in the country was dire, there were Tribal communities who need the assistance provided more than others.
Community’s Overall Perception of Residential Programs: It was established across regions that the residential school project had significantly strengthened the overall development of the Community. This was indicated by the increased accessibility of the educational facilities especially girl students. The same has also somewhat controlled girl child labour. The health status of the school children within the Community has also been enhanced with time.
It was found that there has been a decrease in the number of children migrating to other areas. There was an increased feeling among the Community members of an enhanced capability to participate actively in the development processes in the context of children capability to further their higher education in mainstream society. Community members also State that the component of the residence attached to schools has greatly made the residential school relevant. Most of the children in the various residential schools have come from remote villages and those below poverty line (BPL). The VOs had invested efforts to identify and support the very poor students within the Community.
Overall, the Community felt that the residential programme has generated a sense of increased interest among the Community members about education. It was ascertain that the provision of quality education by some organizations has raised the literacy rate among children in the Community. Many VOs organizes extra curricular activities like sports, games and cultural festivals and such programmes had improved the personal hygiene and behavior of the children.
Community’s Overall Perception of Non Residential Programs: The Non-Residential Schools have also made a positive impact on the whole Community. Provision of free study material and mid day meal was helpful. Also the interest in education generated within the village by non-residential schools has positively impacted the Community, although the quality of education should be improved and paid more attention too.
The non-residential programmes which are generally restricted to only few nearby villages, have permitted the identification of most needy students within the Community and village to avail the educational facilities. Overall, compared to earlier years, many more village children are in school currently. There is also an increased realization about the importance of education which has, in turn, increased students’ mobility and job opportunities.
Community’s Overall Perception of Mobile Dispensary Program: The mobile dispensaries have played a major role in reducing health burdens within the communities. The door to door services provided and free services / medicines have permitted Community to save money for other purposes. Mobile dispensaries were organized by VOs in many villages and they have come to be seen as sub centers for health.
Provision of medical assistance through the mobile dispensaries was for both Tribals and other local groups. Most of these programmes were organized on a weekly basis and were focused on poor people to a great extent. Overall, the free medicines provided timely assistance to pregnant women and facilities provided to old age and young children have greatly helped the Community. This intervention process has created and changed the health attitude of the people.
Community’s Overall Perception of 10 Bedded Hospitals: The concept of ten bedded hospital was viewed as extremely relevant by the Community in the context of health services provisions. Most VOs have provided medical facilities at a very low cost. This is happening at a time when indigenous and traditional forms of medicines and health are deteriorating especially with regards to treating severe and chronic illnesses. Situating the ten bedded hospital nearer to villagers have also reduced the traveling burdens that are generally encountered by the Community. While at the same time appreciating the interventions in its ability to reduce the health burdens, it was establish that there was a need to provide quality operation facilities, other technical facilities and also costly medicines that were beyond the economic reach of the poorer Community members.
It was established that a number of outreached medical camps and outreached programs to very poor people within the Community were organized. Overall, there has been a decrease in child mortality rates and reduced burdens for pregnant women. Also ambulance facilities and regular medical camps are helpful. However, it was felt that separate special care for children was imperative.
Community’s Overall Perception of Training Programmes: The training programmes have facilitated the creation of a trained workforce in the village from among the Community members. There has been an increased awareness about the training programmes by VOs. However, some of the vocational trades are not considered relevant as they used to be. Training programmes like computer education and shorthand training has greatly enhanced the employability of trainees. Further most of the youth were attracted to such programmes compared to training programmes like plumbing, electrician, radio mechanic, cycle repairing, hand-weaving etc. In Central India, there is an indication that handloom weaving, carpentry and mat making are still useful and productive.
Overall, while there is still much more to be done especially in terms of identifying trades that increased employability, yet there was a general sense of satisfaction with the programme. VOs have also assisted trainees in getting job.
A Paradigm Shift: An Argument
Paradigm Shift
It can be observed that the Scheme has been more service focused in the last six decades. During the present effort of reviewing this Scheme, it is considered imperative to shift the old focus of service approach, towards a more Tribal-centric approach which aims at an empowerment process from within the Community rather than from relying on VOs outside the Community. This approach should aim at enhancement of Tribal Community’s capacity through partnership with the local organization and people. This initiation should begin with the identification of such organizations and supporting them with training and funding. The local/grassroot based organizations should be encouraged to access, implement and sustain the intervention process. They should be accompanied with technical and training support to work and mobilize both enterprising and committed Tribal individuals and the Community. This would act as a fillip towards a movement to attain the overall goal of empowering people through their participation and also the need for strengthening the process of local self-governance and self-reliance.
Gender Focus
This is a new area of focus for the GIA. Up untill now, there are no specific mention about a focus on the gender aspects. Gender sensitivity has become imperative in the development of tribes. Such recognition is easily applicable as the data reveals. Therefore, in the light of the recent developments of project planning and implementation, the Ministry should include this crucial component in the Scheme.
M & E of Projects
The Scheme at present has 27 projects/activities which can be clubbed into three different sectors; Education, Health and Training (livelihood). The MTA should monitor and evaluate the projects and implement those projects which are meaningful. Education, Health and livelihood training activities sector could be given priority. However, rationalization of the present projects should be based on local-based need survey.
Renewal of Ongoing Projects
The concept of ongoing projects was introduced to bring focus to certain important sectors. However, this practice needs a revisit. Yearly applications are impractical. There have been lots of procedural problems leading to delay of grant, heavy paper work, bureaucratic influence, taking loans, debt-trap etc. This procedure should be done away with. Instead of this, a proper monitoring system has to be put in place. This monitoring system should consists of inter sectoral and inter-disciplinary professionals and experts. There should be clear guidelines and indicators for monitoring and inspection. The idea of supporting some of the important projects for fixed number of years (minimum of three years) could be explored.
Mapping Service Deficient Areas
It is recommended that all State Committees must carry forth a mapping of service deficient areas within their respective States and the selection of VOs to be recommended to the MTA must be based on a thorough identification of the service deficient areas.
Budget Heads
If the Scheme aims at strengthening its impact, it is imperative to re-look at the budget sanctioned. Every project needs to have a proper budget that would take care of the staff. The present pay and allowances given to teachers and other staff need to be revised. In the meeting, it was pointed out that the Ministry is aware of the low budget of the projects. In fact Ministry has constituted financial Committee to re-look at the budget provision of the projects for the next plan. This should also be accompanied with clear conditions and guidelines for the staff. The qualifications and salary has to be Stated.
Voluntary Work
It is imperative to reiterate to the VOs that the GIA Scheme is an accidental fund allocated only as a supplement to the voluntary effort of the VOs. The Scheme per se is not to be perceived as a mainstay in their funding source and thus no VO should be totally dependent on the funds of the GIA Scheme. While not compromising on the quality of service, the Scheme should aim at nurturing volunteerism within the Community.
Trends and Possible Direction for State Committees
Keeping the above perspective of paradigm shift in the focus of GIA Scheme in mind, the same implies that the whole system of grant giving and monitoring should have a very local and Community focus. The constitution and role of the State Committee should reflect this principle. The composition of the members of the State Committee should have more representation from Tribal based organizations.
While trying to decipher the intricate processes further, data that has emerged from the experiences of State Committees, project staff, VOs, Community and overall beneficiaries, two possibilities have emanated. The first possibility is the transferring of the final decision making authority to State Committees with corresponding responsibility. The second possibility on the other hand is maintaining status quo on the same as practiced currently, that is, State Committee remains the recommending authority while Central Committee takes the ultimate decision.
The first option entails restructuring of the content and manner of constitution of the State Committee in order to increase the capacity of State Committees to ensure fair decision making, transparency and accountability. This however is an option that has its own pitfalls, considering the fact that most State Committees are not organized to an extent that would permit quality and just decision making. It is with this understanding that the second option becomes more relevant and viable.
It was observed that many States are not aware of the present system of grant giving. In fact many expressed their ignorance about their role in the implementation of Scheme. Some in fact, have complained about the poor management of the Scheme by the Ministry. This basically indicates the communication gap / inactive response of the State. In this meeting, the officials of the Ministry said that the States have not done the work of mapping the service deficient areas. Unless this is done, the Ministry cannot be blamed for the ineffectiveness of the system. The following recommendations in the Table No.3 below are suggested for the constitution of State Committees and concomitant responsibilities.
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Table No. 3
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Constitution of State Committee and Responsibilities |
• | Committee to be headed by the Secretary at the State level |
| • | Status quo on number of members of State Committee | |
| • | 2/3 of Committee members should be Tribals outside the State officials | |
| • | One invitee from academics and one from professional social work background | |
| • | Smaller organizations and Non-EVAs to be given representation in State Committee | |
| • | Conscious effort to disallow dominance of political affiliated individuals and EVA members on decision making | |
| • | Status quo on roles and responsibilities of central, State and district level governance systems | |
| • | Status quo on “recommending authority” of State Committees | |
| • | MTA guidelines to be strictly adhered to by State Committees | |
| • | Decision making authority to remain with MTA | |
| • | Identification of service deficient areas through village level mapping | |
| • | Prioritize sectors, projects and Tribes who would need services at State level | |
| • | State to identify and maintain list of VOs working for Tribal development | |
| • | Small funds to be allocated to State Committee for expenses incurred for meetings twice a year | |
Application and Screening Process
In the Table No.4 below are the recommendations for the application and screening processes under the jurisdiction of the State Committees. These recommendations are in keeping with a perspective that would facilitate the streamlining of a State system that would be responsive, sensitive and proactive.
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Table No. 4
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Application and Screening Processes |
• | Applications to be submitted to Secretary State Committee with copy to MTA |
| • | Information of Scheme to be advertised through local media | |
| • | State Committee to notify district collector about application of VO for GIA | |
| • | District level welfare officer responsible for inspection | |
| • | Panchayat/Village head to be a signatory in inspection report | |
| • | Report to be sent by district collector to State Committee | |
| • | State Committee reviews district collector report | |
| • | State Committee examines the proposal and see whether it is as per the financial norms | |
| • | Current MTA guidelines to be strictly adhered to as regards necessary legal requirements | |
| • | The selected VOs are recommended to MTA | |
| • | Tribal headed VOs to be given preference over non -tribal headed VOs | |
| • | Applications not be sorted out on lines of EVAs and Non EVAs | |
| • | Fund allocation to be spread across organizations within a State | |
| • | No organization to be given more than 35% of total fund allocation to a single State | |
Guidelines and Specific Criteria for Selecting VOs
On facilitating the process of the development of clear guidelines and specific criteria for selection, the following measures in the Table No.5 below are recommended:
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Table No. 5
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Specific Guidelines and Criteria for Selection |
• | Prescribed format for district collector’s inspection |
| • | Report of District Collector and Panchayat/village head to be considered | |
| • | Special criteria to be developed especially in relation to capacity, transparency and accountability of VOs to Community | |
| • | Clear specification and field visits/inspections | |
| • | Guidelines to be advertised in local media | |
| • | Status quo on one year funding | |
| • | VOs to be matched with service deficient areas, prioritized area, project and tribe | |
| • | If old VOs, utilization certificate imperative | |
| • | No replication of project in a single area | |
| • | 1/3 of the board members of VOs should be from Tribal communities | |
| • | VOs should bear 1/10 of the project cost | |
| • | VOs should be financially sound and having adequate critical infrastructure | |
Monitoring Process
Finally, on the systematizing of a monitoring system the following guidelines as in the Table No.6 are recommended:
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Table No. 6
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Monitoring |
• | Independent expert consultant’s to be appointed for monitoring once in a year at State level |
| • | Twice a year beneficiary utilization and perception response at district level depending on stage of the project by DC | |
| • | Surprise visits by members of the State Committee once a year | |
| • | Gram sabha members should be involved in monitoring process | |
| • | Point-wise grading chart including guidelines for using the chart should be included in the monitoring process | |
| • | Once in four years’ national evaluation and impact study | |
Identification of VOs Working in the Area of Tribal Habitation
The State Committee must possess data that clearly identifies organizations working especially for the benefit of Tribal communities from within the Community and from outside the Community. The data should include names of VOs, their experience in working with Tribal communities, their expertise and area of work, their infrastructural possession and their secular positions.
Community Accreditation of Voluntary Organizations
The process of accreditation is recommended in order to maintain a certain standard and professionalism in service delivery in the Scheme. However, this process should be based on the principle domain of the Community. The Community should accredit the organizations who are working for them to restore and recognize the rights of participations of the Community in the process of planning and implementation of the projects. It should be made mandatory for giving the Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organizations working for the Scheduled Tribes.
Right to Information
The Ministry has made important moves to bring about transparency, accountability and participation through Right to Information Act, 2005. This should be applied in the context of the Voluntary Organizations availing the Grant-in-Aid Scheme. The Community/people should have the right to seek information about the projects that concerns them.
Screening Processes and Criteria for Selection of VO
It is recommended that while the State Committees screen the applications received, priority should be given to the Community/local based organizations. However, in such cases where there is non availability of the Community/local based organizations or capacity of the same is below the required standards, other VOs could be the alternative.
Criteria for Fund Allocation across States
Sparseness of population and terrain are two important criteria of fund allocation. Habitation is the unit of allocation of fund. This means that average size of habitation has to be taken as the criteria. It should be known that a habitation and village are two different things, because a village may consists of more than one habitation. Habitation includes a single cohesive social unit. Allocation of primary school should be based on habitation and not village. It should be proportionate to the average size of the habitation size.
Allocation of fund could be made to the inverse proportion of population size i.e., smaller the size higher the allocation and isolated ness of the hamlet. District hand-book should provide database of the habitation unit. The density of population in the area and specific character/problem of the terrain/community should be indicated. While identifying the service deficient areas is important, mapping of service deficient area alone cannot be taken as a criterion for fund allocation. The basic unit, one is identifying in mapping the service deficient area is imperative. If a village is taken as a unit, possibilities of disproportionate and imbalance development could occur because a village may have many habitations. This could be observed within the Bhils of Rajasthan where habitation there is settlement in fields separate from each other. Since a group of households becomes a social unit and thus is identified so, this unit should form the education unit or the project unit for MTA and VOs. Administrative unit should also indicate habitation and social unit. In the context of Tribals, it is recommended that a ‘Balwadi’ and primary school for education should be combined, because the Tribal children in the remote areas take some years to come out of their hamlets for educational purposes. Usually the Tribal children begin to come out only after 6/8 years of age.
Strategy for GIA Implementation
Accountability, transparency and effectiveness of GIA can be realized only if we evoke the constitutional provision of PESA. The principle of ‘All the VOs to be answerable to Gram Sabha’ should be the basic premise of operation for every organization implementing the GIA. This principle should also be applied in the 6th Scheduled areas.
All organizations should be responsible and answerable to the Community. The Community must be perceived and respected as being supreme. This approach should be applied by all the VOs and States implementing the GIA. In principle, there should be the stamp (consent) of the Gram Sabha to all the projects operating in the States. The ‘Mizoram model’ indicates that within the voluntary sector, when the Community intervention is high, outside external intervention decreases.
In such an environment, the State should facilitate the Local/Tribal based organizations proactively to take ownership for its own upliftment while at the same time recognizing the important roles that outside agencies could play in the development process.
Field observations indicate that a few large and formal organizations have been taking projects as a means to further their own organizational goals. In the absence of accountability, transparency and participation of the Community, the VOs has proclivity towards self-growth, especially, in relations to power hoarding and formation of hierarchical rigid formal structures. This process of operationalization sometimes takes precedence over needs and respect for the Community, to the extent that Community needs takes a back seat while VO’s own existence becomes the primary goal and focus, thereby bringing about conflicting situation in/with the Community.
Majority of the Voluntary Organizations take up voluntary work on philanthropic grounds. They are important as they respond to certain specific concerns of the Community and society which cannot be addressed adequately by the State and other formal organizations. They are practically, and by approach, rooted in the Community and thus proceed towards addressing the concerns of the most neglected and marginalized within Communities. However, Voluntary Organizations cannot be a substitute for the State. They are only minute peripheral partners of the State in the overall development process. Therefore, it is imperative that the State should not absolve itself from its bounded duties.
The GIA per se should not be the reason for the establishment of any Voluntary Organization. The GIA should be perceived, seen and viewed only as an incidental aid and supplementary fund. This condition should prevail in order that two vital ingredients, i.e., spirit of committed voluntarism and high quality of service is not compromised in the course of voluntary work.
End Notes
1 Sharma, 1984
2 MTA Annual Report, 2006
3.Terms and conditions as formulated within the sole discretion of the Central Government
4.The approach paper to the 10th plan qualifies this move as one of the major strategies in the Tenth Plan
Reference
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