Need of capacity building for NGOs working on minority schemes: Agwan

By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,

New Delhi: Abdur Rasheed Agwan, a known face in the field of social activities in Delhi and chairman, Universal Knowledge Trust, has recently launched a Hindi fortnightly NGO India to inform and empower non-governmental organizations working in social sector. Very few schemes for minorities have incentives for NGOs, but most of the NGOs working on minority projects lack capacity, infrastructure and required information, says Agwan in an interview with Mumtaz Alam Falahi of TwoCircles.net.

About the purpose of the NGO India which he is editing, Abdur Rasheed Agwan, who is also secretary, All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat, says: We have launched it to inform and empower organizations working in social sector. A number of NGOs working in the field are ignorant of government policies and schemes. To make them aware of the social needs, going out of the box thinking about society, is also our aim. Similarly, the periodical will put the problems of NGOs before the government.

On what could be done for NGOs that could effectively implement schemes and projects meant for minorities, Agwan, who is Joint Secretary, All India Educational Movement, said: There is an urgent need to build the capacity of such NGOs. Most of the NGOs working on minority projects lack required capacity, proper document and infrastructure and basic know-how. Their records are also not updated.

However, he laments that schemes meant for minorities often lack incentive for NGOs. For instance, the scholarship schemes or Multi-sectoral Development Program of Minority Affairs Ministry have no incentive for NGOs. So such NGOs show little interest in them. The minority women leadership development scheme is the latest and only from the ministry which has some role for NGOs, thus there is incentive for them also, Agwan says.