Indian Non-profit Organisations

I read with much interest Rajesh Tandon’s insight into the “The Hidden Universe of Non-profit Organisations in India” published in EPW dated 21 January 2017. I fully agree with his analysis on the legal complexity, diversity and intentions of the wide variety of non-profit organisations (NPOs) that are operating in 21st century India. It is also true that there are issues of transparency and hidden agendas in these organisations, which are under scrutiny by various government organisations.

I think the point raised by Tandon is valid, that is, nobody knows the numbers! Why is it so? Who is responsible for this? Is it just the lack of modernisation of data collection practices? Or is it the lack of interest from the political, judiciary and bureaucracy circles—because they are the ones, perhaps, owning or running a small number of NPOs indirectly, but with an annual turnover of millions of rupees—whose self-interests are at stake if the sector is modernised and more transparency is sought? Or is it that the market will take care of the sector, that is, survival of the fittest? Good NPOs will survive and the rest will die. So, there is no need to spend huge resources to count them.