In a bid to keep an eye on the performance of NGOs working in the environment sector, the Government has decided to rate them as per their standard of work.
The ratings will be done only for those NGOs that are dependent on Government for funds.
According to the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar such an exercise will create better cooperation between NGOs and the Ministry and will be an incentive for the former to perform better.
There are about 2,300 NGOs across the country working towards environmental protection, conservation and awareness.
The Minister pointed out that a system will be evolved where the performance of NGOs receiving grants from the Ministry will be assessed to see whether the money has been utilised for the purpose it was mentioned for and whether the message for which the amount is given has reached the people and the purpose is achieved, he said.
“We want to create an indexation of NGOs for incentivising them wherein good NGOs will be appreciated and others who fall back will also get stimulus to get better. We would create a constant dialogue with people through NGOs,” said Javadekar on Tuesday during the release of the 10th edition of 'Directory of Environment NGOs'. The directory is complied by World Worldlife Fund-India. The database covers information, including details such as geographical coverage, commencement of activities, staff strength and contact details of NGOs.
The Minister said that Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) should not be viewed as the only criterion to recognise NGOs. “Verifying authenticity of NGOs was the biggest challenge. They were required to submit mandatory documents, including registration number, financial dealings, details of projects, utilisation certificate and auditing,” he pointed out.
Not only NGO's, the Minister has also decided to improve efficiency of regional offices by revamping. This, according to him, was necessary for empowering and strengthening them for better compliance of laws.
The Ministry has called a review meeting of all the 10 regional offices where suggestions will be invited for augmenting their capacity and effectiveness.
“We are reviewing the functioning of regional offices. They play a very important role as they the arms of implementation of laws on air and water pollution, forest clearance and many other subjects,” said Javadekar on the occasion.