Ideology over cause: Have our NGOs lost their way?

India needs power to maintain its growth momentum, cater to the energy needs of cities and electrification of rural villages. It has an installed capacity of 187,000 MW and falls short of the peak-hour demand by 12 percent. In summer, when the demand for electricity is high, power supply to many industrial hubs has to be rationed. Cities suffer power cuts and rural areas go without power for eight to 10 hours or more. With power projects hitting obstacles every now and then, the gap between demand for power and its supply is only expected to get worse. Mining of coal—it accounts for half of India’s energy production—involves damaging the environment and raises the complex issue of displacement of tribals. Moreover, it is highly polluting. The option of renewable energy—solar, tidal, wind energy—is not workable since it is not cost effective. The only option that looks good enough to tackle the situation is nuclear energy. Not everything is hunky dory with this form of energy – we are aware of the disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima and the consequent human cost – but do the NGOs opposing nuclear power have an alternative to offer? Do they have a solution to India’s impending energy crisis?[caption id=“attachment_227097” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Scare resources. Reuters”] [/caption] No. Some in the fraternity won’t even allow forests to be dug up for coal or setting up of hydro-electric projects. So what do they want really? Once known for coming up with creative solutions to problems the government failed to resolve and being partners in the people’s welfare process, the NGO movement in India is getting more and more confused in its approach. It has turned more ideology-driven and confrontational and less focussed on wider objectives, even when they involve the interests of the nation. The protest over Kudankulam nuclear power plant is a case in point. It is not yet clear whether it was fuelled by US-based NGOs as claimed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but it clearly reveals how the NGOs are fast assuming the role of obstructionists. The plant, once commissioned, would provide Tamil Nadu 1,000 MW of energy, which would go some distance in meeting the state’s power shortage of 4,000 MW. Moreover, the apprehensions of the fishermen expected to be affected by the plant has been allayed by experts. The NGOs concerned had no particular reason to get into a protracted fight with the Central government. The similar obstinacy is reflected in the NGOs opposing the government’s action on Naxals. They have turned it into an ideological war against the government and at some point sought to link it to the process of economic reforms and liberalisation. Lost in their argument is the fact that innocent tribals are caught in no man’s land, suffering at the hands of the police as well as Naxals. There’s the increasing tendency among NGOs to turn populist. Here the difference between taking up a popular cause and positioning oneself in an equation of conflict blurs. NGOs are supposed to play facilitators in a good cause not spearheading aggressive movements. By ignoring the fundamental principle they get embroiled in avoidable disputes. Anna Hazare’s Ralegan Siddhi is a brilliant example of what positive activism can deliver, so is Arvind Kejriwal’s Right to Information movement. The failure of their Lokapal agitation is an example how a good movement becomes discreditable when it takes populist-confrontationist position. While confrontation is not always avoidable, it should be tempered with pragmatic judgement and free of ego issues. Many NGOs are doing a stellar job in their fields without attracting much attention. They have been active partners with the government in several developmental projects. Ideally, that is what they should be focussed on. They should not be wearing ideological blinkers and losing sight of the big picture, the way it is happening in the case of the power sector. They should be thinking solutions to problems, not aiming at leading movements to earn popularity points. In case the going gets tough—which it would in the case of NGOs taking up human rights and such issues—the courts are there to find a way out.