NGO Organizations
1. What is an NGO?
- Non-Governmental Organization: legally constituted, non-profit, voluntary citizens’ group
- Operates independently from any government
- Purpose: social, environmental, humanitarian, advocacy, development
- India has ~3.3 million registered NGOs (CBI-2018) – 1 NGO per 400 people, highest density worldwide
2. Legal Forms of NGOs in India
| Form | Enacted | Regulator | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust | Indian Trust Act 1882 | Charity Commissioner | Public/Private trust deed |
| Society | Societies Registration Act 1860 | Registrar of Societies | Democratic elections |
| Section-8 Company | Companies Act 2013 | MCA (ROC) | Limited-liability, no dividend |
3. International & Indian Milestones
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1945 | Term “NGO” first used in UN Charter (Art. 71) |
| 1946 | UNICEF founded (became permanent 1953) |
| 1973 | CHIPKO movement – Sunderlal Bahuguna |
| 1980 | Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) Nobel Peace Prize |
| 1981 | Sulabh International established – Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak |
| 1983 | SEWA – registered trade union of self-employed women |
| 1994 | CRY – Child Rights & You (originated 1979, registered 1994) |
| 1995 | World Social Summit, Copenhagen – NGO consultative status expanded |
| 2003 | Greenpeace India office opened (HQ Amsterdam 1971) |
| 2005 | Right to Information Act – driven by MKSS/Aruna Roy |
| 2010 | Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act tightened |
| 2013 | India is 1st country to legislate CSR (2% of profit) |
| 2020 | Amnesty International India closed FCRA operations |
4. Top Indian NGOs (by reach & budget)
| NGO | Founded HQ | Focus Area | FY-22 Receipts ₹ Cr (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The Akshaya Patra Foundation | 2000 Bengaluru | Mid-day meals | 665 |
| 2. Bharti Foundation | 2000 Delhi | Education | 480 |
| 3. Goonj | 1999 Delhi | Clothing, disaster | 110 |
| 4. HelpAge India | 1978 Delhi | Elderly | 205 |
| 5. Pratham | 1994 Mumbai | Learning outcomes | 310 |
| 6. Smile Foundation | 2002 Delhi | Healthcare & education | 235 |
| 7. GiveIndia | 1999 Mumbai | Online giving platform | 400 |
5. Global Giants with Indian Presence
| Name | Founded | HQ | Nobel Prize | India office since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARE | 1945 | USA | – | 1946 |
| Oxfam | 1942 | UK | – | 1951 |
| Save the Children | 1919 | UK | – | 2008 (re-registered) |
| Amnesty International | 1961 | UK | 1977 | 1966 (closed 2020) |
| Médecins Sans Frontières | 1971 | Switzerland | 1999 | 1999 |
6. Regulatory Framework
- FCRA 2010 – Ministry of Home Affairs; mandatory for foreign donations >₹15 lakh/yr
- 12A & 80G – Income-tax exemptions (donor gets 50% rebate)
- CSR Schedule VII – Companies Act 2013; 2% of avg. 3-yr net profit
- Darpan Portal – NITI Aayog, mandatory for govt. grants ≥₹10 lakh
7. Quick Reference Tables
Table-1: Nobel Peace Laureate NGOs
| NGO | Year | Country |
|---|---|---|
| ICRC (3rd time) | 1963 | Switzerland |
| Amnesty International | 1977 | UK |
| MSF | 1999 | Switzerland |
| Grameen Bank & Yunus | 2006 | Bangladesh |
Table-2: Famous Campaigns
| Campaign | NGO/Leader | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Right to Information | MKSS (Aruna Roy) | RTI Act 2005 |
| Narmada Bachao Andolan | Medha Patkar | R&R policy, SC judgments |
| Appiko Movement | Pandurang Hegde | Western-Ghats conservation |
| Jaago Re | Janaagraha | Voter registration spike 2009 |
8. One-liner Revision Bullets
- India has the world’s largest NGO network: ~3.3 million (CBI 2018)
- UN Charter Article 71: consultative status for NGOs
- FCRA licence valid 5 years; renewal online via fcraonline.nic.in
- Section 8 Company can be formed without “Limited” in name
- CSR threshold: net-worth ₹500 cr OR turnover ₹1,000 cr OR profit ₹5 cr
- “Anshu Gupta” started Goonj – Ramon Magsaysay 2015
- “Kailash Satyarthi” founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan – Nobel 2014
- SEWA – 2.1 million women members (Gujarat-based)
- Akshaya Patra feeds 2 million children daily across 15 states/2 UT
- GiveIndia is India’s largest online donation platform
9. MCQ Practice Set (Railway Exam Level)
Click to view 15 MCQs with answers
Which act allows NGOs to receive foreign donations in India?
- a) FEMA 1999
- b) FCRA 2010
- c) PMLA 2002
- d) IPC 1860
- Ans: b
The term NGO was officially recognized in which international document?
- a) Universal Declaration of HR
- b) UN Charter
- c) Kyoto Protocol
- d) Geneva Convention
- Ans: b
Who founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan?
- a) Medha Patkar
- b) Kailash Satyarthi
- c) Sunderlal Bahuguna
- d) Anshu Gupta
- Ans: b
Match: NGO – HQ city
- A. Pratham – 1. Bengaluru
- B. Akshaya Patra – 2. Mumbai
- C. Goonj – 3. Delhi
- D. SEWA – 4. Ahmedabad
- a) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
- b) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
- c) A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4
- d) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
- Ans: a
Under Companies Act 2013, what % of profit must qualifying firms spend on CSR?
- a) 1
- b) 2
- c) 3
- d) 5
- Ans: b
Which NGO won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999?
- a) CARE
- b) Oxfam
- c) MSF
- d) Amnesty
- Ans: c
The Darpan Portal is maintained by
- a) Ministry of Finance
- b) NITI Aayog
- c) RBI
- d) TRAI
- Ans: b
CHIPKO movement started in which state?
- a) UP (now Uttarakhand)
- b) Kerala
- c) Karnataka
- d) Odisha
- Ans: a
Which of the following is NOT a legal form of NGO in India?
- a) Trust
- b) Cooperative Society
- c) Section-8 Company
- d) Registered Society
- Ans: b
Grameen Bank model of micro-finance originated in
- a) India
- b) Sri Lanka
- c) Bangladesh
- d) Nepal
- Ans: c
RTI Act 2005 was an outcome of the campaign led by
- a) MKSS
- b) Greenpeace
- c) CRY
- d) Smile
- Ans: a
FCRA licence is granted for a period of
- a) 3 years
- b) 5 years
- c) 7 years
- d) 10 years
- Ans: b
Which NGO is associated with mid-day meal scheme in India?
- a) Goonj
- b) Akshaya Patra
- c) HelpAge
- d) Pratham
- Ans: b
The highest number of registered NGOs are found in which Indian state?
- a) Maharashtra
- b) Uttar Pradesh
- c) Kerala
- d) West Bengal
- Ans: b (UP ~5.5 lakh)
Amnesty International India halted operations in India in which year?
- a) 2018
- b) 2019
- c) 2020
- d) 2021
- Ans: c
Last-minute cram card: UN-71 → FCRA-10 → CSR-2% → 3.3 million NGOs → Nobel 99-MSF → Nobel 2014-Satyarthi → RTI-MKSS → CHIPKO-1973 → Akshaya Patra-2000 → SEWA-1983 → Darpan-NITI → 80G-50% rebate → Trust-Society-S8.
BETA
