Civil Society Engagement in

the 11 Plan
th

Possibilities & Constraints

15th December 2008
Dr. Rajesh Tandon, President, PRIA
42 Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi – 110 062
Tel: +91-11-29960931/32/33; Fax: +91-11-29955183
Email: rajeshtandon@pria.org; Web: www.pria.org
 Inclusive Growth assumes

• high (10%) annual growth

• revival in agricultural growth

• private sector investment in infrastructure

• enhanced investment in education, health, water—

essential services

• good governance
 Roles of civil society envisaged
• capacity building (community, CBOs, PRIs,
• participation/empowerment (marginalized,
women)
• support to PRIs (in service delivery)
• service delivery (SC,ST, NER, rural technology,
PIM,
• entrepreneurs (in financial matters)
• Harmonising CBOs with PRIs
• ‘Watch dog’, democratic accountability (for
regulators?)
• States & markets
 National Policy on Voluntary
Sector
• most comprehensive first statement of intent by central
govt.
• inclusive definition of voluntary sector
• three instruments of partnership
a) formal consultative mechanisms at all levels
b)  strategic collaboration for complex issues where
social mobilization is critical over long term
c) project funding through standard schemes
• support to capacity development & accountability of
Vos
 Constraints
• Who ‘owns’ this policy? Cabinet, central govt, Planning
Comm, none?
• Perspective of policy not informed the formulation of
Plan
• Confusions about… ‘community, people’s groups, CBOs,
VOs, NGOs, CSOs, civil society, PRIs, local bodies,
throughout the text?
• Are these all the same? Serve same functions?
• Whatever happened to strategic partnerships?
• Will anything happen for enabling environment?
• Govt. funding (CAPART & Min of Social Justice,
specially) ‘breeds’ corruption in VOs
 Risks

• Constrained to play limited roles—service delivery,

assisting PRIs (not municipalities?), sharing
information—predominantly at local level
• Vision of private sector contributions and roles
clear, crisp, unambiguous; not so for civil society?
• Civil society as building blocks of democracy—
social mobilisation, demanding accountability,
nurturing social capital---non-existant?
Compromised?
 Cont…

• Reforming the governments’ delivery system for

the ‘inclusive’ not addressed? No roles for civil
society? Key constraint for decades? Continuous
risk?
• Knowledge and policy making contributions
marginalized, shift to academia?
• Conscientisation & mobilization contributions
‘transferred’ to media?
 Big Gaps

• Sustainable, autonomous, diversified and inclusive

development of civil society missing—WE SHOULD
DEFINE?
• Does Global India have a global contribution of Indian civil
society? (contributions in UN, Commonwealth, SAARC,
Trade regimes)? And does India’s development investments
abroad require some interventions of Indian civil society?
• New agendas for the nation (terrorism/violence, social
harmony, urbanization?) need a vibrant/active civil society?