Role of Non-Governmental Organisations in India

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) is any association having a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social cause or any non-profit voluntary citizens group which is organized around specific issues, such as education, environmental conservation, social welfare, rural development sanitation, healthcare or human rights, on a local, national or international level. The World Bank defines NGOs as “private organisations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provides basic social services, or undertake community development. NGOs include an array of groups and institutions that are entirely or largely independent of government and characterised primarily by humanitarian or co-operative, rather than commercial objectives”.