The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE emergence of non-government organisations (NGOs) looked impressive in the seventies and the eighties. A large number of sponsors obtained official approval for setting up NGOs. Their expressed purpose was to help the poor people in rural areas to augment their earnings from their vocations and also to start income generating activities. Sponsors of NGOs extended microcredit to local people at rates of interest that are quite higher than the rates taken by banks and investment companies. In the process, some NGOs collected millions of Taka from their clients at different parts of the country.

As reported in the press, a large number of NGOs appeared in the rural areas of Natore district with programmes for assistance to the poor section of the people. They adopted a policy of give and take for enabling the poor people to earn a good living. The documents on enlistment of members, who paid fees for the same and the collection of money from them remain in the offices of such agencies. The ultimate use of money received from aid givers in different countries, and also the collected loans from the rural people, however, remained beyond the spell of accountability.

Of late, some NGOs have started withdrawing their operations from the rural areas. Some executives of NGOs virtually disappeared from their offices and siphoned off crores of Taka. Hundreds of clients of such NGOs in many districts thus opted for agitation. They also made allegations before the Deputy Commissioners of districts and the officials of the Department of Social Service, Department of Cooperatives against such NGOs. Some of the officials of NGOs have been arrested following the lodging of complaints. Some NGO executives have started reappearing and promising to repay the money they collected from their clients. Such piecemeal approaches would not, however, address the problem. It's not a question of reacting through the official agencies before the poor people are cheated. The appropriate answer is proper monitoring of NGO activities.