NGOs, religious and charitable bodies are increasingly coming under scrutiny by government because of supposedly questionable practices adopted by them. Yet most of them render yeoman service to the society. There are a few black sheep among them who are tarnishing the image of all. It is time to sift the grain from the chaff.
The renowned Siddhivinayak temple trust deserves to be commended for receiving ISO 9001-2008 certification for ‘best quality practices’. The Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai is very popular among devotees and is the richest religious trust in Mumbai. Other religious trusts would do well to emulate their example. When people are convinced that these bodies are doing good work they will willingly donate more money.
Government must introduce a ‘star’ grading system, for best practices and transparency adopted by these bodies. However, this must be purely voluntary. Obviously only those bodies which are above board will lend themselves to such certification. People have a right to know how their money is being used. If they are convinced they will donate even more.
Prof Robert Castellino, Calangute
