Assistant Professor, Visiting Faculty, Asia Pacific Instiute of Management, New Delhi (Formerly Assistant Professor, IILM Institute for Higher Education Lodhi Road, New Delhi)
Online published on 13 November, 2014.
A welfare state works towards building a model society where there is no place for inequity, whether based on wealth, gender, race, caste or creed. However, in a developing country like India, where the state has limited resources for social and economic upliftment of its people, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can play a very critical role. India today ranks at a low 136 among 186 countries on its human development index (HDI) according to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report 2013. HDI is a composite measure of life expectancy, access to education and income levels. These statistics reveal that an effective role of alternative development agencies like NGOs can ensure greater access and equity for the marginalised sections of the society through their works of philanthropy and promotion of human values like gender equality, rural development, respect for environment, promotion of education and economic equality. The present study is an attempt to comprehend the role of NGOs in India as a powerful catalyst to bring a positive growth in promotion of human values. It focuses on NGOs working in India to bring innovative solutions to promote human philanthropy – both social and economic through their efforts.
Welfare State, Non-governmental Organizations, Human Development Index, Philanthropy, Human Values
