Stakeholders – Civil Society Organisations

According to national policy on volunteer organizations …to be considered part of the non-profit sector the entity must be

• Organisational– an institution with some meaningful structure and permanence;
• Non-governmental– not part of the apparatus of government;
• Non-profit-distributing– not permitted to distribute profits to its owners or directors. They are required to be ploughed back in the organisation
• Self-governing– not controlled by some entity outside the organisation; and

The Indian Constitution provides a distinct legal space to social capital / civil society institutions:

• through its Article on the right to form associations or unions – Article 19 (1)(c);
• through Article 43 which talks of States making endeavor to promote cooperatives in rural areas;
• through explicit mention in entries made in Schedule 7.

The presence of Civil Society Organisations ensures

• depth and resilience in civil society
• expression to citizens’ voices
• enables them to take responsibility for how their society is performing
• allows them to talk to their government in organised ways.
• It can help to scale up productivity and competitiveness.
• It can contribute to inclusive wealth creation.
• Enhance the people centricity of the government.
• Alternative perspectives
• Committed expertise
• An understanding of the local opportunities and constraints
• Capacity to conduct a meaningful dialogue with communities, particularly those that are disadvantaged.

Civil society groups in our country can be classified into following broad categories:-

• Registered Societies formed for specific purposes
• Charitable Organisations and Trusts
• Local Stakeholders Groups, Microcredit and Thrift Enterprises, SHGs
• Professional Self-Regulatory Bodies
• Cooperatives
• Bodies without having any formal organisational structure
• Government promoted Third Sector Organisations

Different types of civil society organizations

1. Civil rights advocacy organizations:to promote human rights of specific social groups e.g. women, migrants, disabled, HIV, sex workers, Dalit people, tribal people, and the likes.
2. Civil liberties advocacy organizations:to promote individual civil liberties and human rights of all citizens, rather than focusing on particular social group.
3. Community based organizations, citizens’ groups, farmers’ cooperatives:to increase citizen’s participation on public policy issues so as to improve the quality of life in a particular community.
4. Business and industry chambers of commerce:to promotion policies and practices on business.
5. Labour unions:to promote the rights of employees and workers.
6. International peace and human rights organizations:to promote peace and human rights.
7. Media, communication organization:to produce, disseminate, or provide production facilities in one or more media forms; it includes television, printing and radio.
8. National resources conservation and protection organizations:to promote conservation of natural resources, including land, water, energy, wildlife and plant resources, for public use.
9. Private and public foundations:to promote development through grant- making and partnership.
10. Also the Civil society includes– Political Parties; Religious Organizations; Housing cooperatives, slum dwellers and resident welfare associations.