International NGOs (INGOs) have harmed India

Source: The post International NGOs (INGOs) have harmed India has been created, based on the article “International NGOs and the perils of outsourcing development” published in “Indian Express” on 10th October is 2024 

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2– Governance- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.  

Context: The article discusses how international NGOs (INGOs) have harmed local communities in countries like India by promoting donor-driven agendas. It highlights how INGOs contributed to female foeticide through sex determination technologies, ignoring local realities and historical contexts that led to gender imbalance. 

How have INGOs harmed local communities? 

1. International NGOs (INGOs) have often pushed donor-driven agendas that harmed local communities.
2. In Tanzania and Kenya, INGOs displaced Maasai communities through conservation projects. 3. In Bolivia, INGOs backed water privatization in Cochabamba, restricting access and causing public protests.

What Impact Have International NGOs Had in India? 

1. INGOs’ Influence on India: INGOs like the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Population Council played a significant role in shaping India’s family planning and population control policies from the 1950s to the 1980s.
2. Sex-Determination Technologies: INGOs introduced sex-determination technologies, like amniocentesis, at AIIMS, originally for detecting fetal abnormalities. However, they quickly became tools for determining fetal sex.
3. Misuse of Amniocentesis Tests: By 1978, over 1,000 female fetuses had been aborted at AIIMS alone. Between 1978 and 1983, approximately 78,000 female fetuses were aborted across India.
4. Health Ministry Focus on Family Planning: In 1975, INGOs influenced India’s Health Ministry to allocate 59% of its budget to family planning, neglecting other critical health issues.
5. Decline in Child Sex Ratio: The child sex ratio dropped from 943 girls per 1,000 boys in 1951 to 927 in 1991, with the sharpest decline coinciding with the introduction of sex-determination tests.
6. Regional Impact: Punjab’s child sex ratio dropped to 876, and Haryana’s to 861 by 2001, due to easier access to these tests.

Way forward  

While INGOs may have good intentions, their interventions have often caused lasting harm. Policymakers in India should be cautious and skeptical of external advice from INGOs, ensuring they consider local realities. 

Question for practice: 

Discuss the ways in which donor-driven agendas of INGOs have harmed local communities in India.