There are a whopping 30,000 non-governmental organisations (NGO) in Nagaland as per the 2011 census, which means that there is one for every 66 persons with about 545 new ones being added annually. At this rate, more than 6500 organisations could have been floated in the state since the last census was carried out. This number is not less by any measure. No wonder murmurs have started emerging over the growing number of civil organisations in the state, though nothing much has changed on the ground. Ideally, floating of organisations should not be an issue. Its role in strengthening democracy is immense. In fact, the state needs a vigilant civil society more than other times in view of the all-party government currently in place. As non-profit, independent, voluntary and self-reliant entities formed to serve common interest of certain groups, civil organisations can play a vital role as the watchdog of society, place citizens’ concerns to governments, check abuse of power by political leaders and officials, and expose corruption in the absence of an Opposition in the Legislative Assembly. However, problems crop up when it crosses the line and starts meddling with the functioning of the government, to the extent of threatening to take the law into their own hands if their demands are not met. There are times when important policies and decisions of the Nagaland government are met with unprecedented opposition from civil organisations for trivial reasons. Such unnecessary interference should be avoided.
The state is already feeling the impact of “too many organisations”. When the government convenes a meeting, civil bodies representing a region as well as those within the same region or circle, and several other organisations have to be included in the long invitation list. Leaving one out is asking for trouble. But the list may keep getting longer with organisations claiming to be representing a sizeable member of the population, including those with similar objectives and political motive, continuing to surface. If this trend continues, there may come a day when every panel constituted by the government will have more than a dozen members and meetings become like seminars. This will result in slowing down the decision making process and draining the state’s exchequer. Who stands to lose at the end of the day? It’s the people. This calls for the need to come up with a mechanism to address this issue. Despite all limitations, the state government is relatively more accommodative than many states in the country on several aspects. Civil societies should not take advantage of this accommodative spirit but channel it towards building a progressive society. It should act as a catalyst for accountability in governance as well as help government understand and respond to problems more effectively. Weakening the government won’t help anybody.