NGOs Call For Scrapping Of Odisha Govt’s Decision To Renew Registration Of Societies

Bhubaneswar: The decision of the Odisha Cabinet to amend the Societies Registration (SR) Act 1860 has not gone down well with Voluntary Organisations (VOs).

They have started a petition to reconsider and scrap amending the Act that makes it obligatory for VOs to renew their registration every five years.

The proposal has come like a jolt at a time when the entire voluntary sector is enthusiastically engaged in serving our people during the COVID pandemic. The proposed amendment is likely to affect an overwhelming number of socially motivated and committed VOs operating in the state, said the petition started by change.org

In a separate letter to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, a social worker, Ashok Nanda of Loksamukhya said, “The amended Act will create petty opportunities for petty officials to exploit the registered societies during their renewal. Most of them will be forced to bribe the officials. It seems the petty minds of the top Babus who are corrupt to the core are keenly interested to make every society corrupt.”

The petition started on behalf of VOs by change.org spells out various reasons for the state government to scrap the decision to amend the SR Act 1860:

• There is already a paucity of resources in the voluntary sector and this will be an added burden
• Renewing registration will is likely to create dis-continuity in the work of the VOs. It will affect Yuvak Sanghas, Mahila Samitis, Sports Clubs functioning and community-based organisations including women self-help groups/federations in villages and towns
• It will further add bureaucratic control on the VOs as well as pressure on the administration
• A slow-moving bureaucracy may not be able to handle the volume of work with efficiency and diligence
• It will change the character of the law from a progressive one to a draconian one

The petition further says that the state government’s involving VOs in bringing back Odia migrants during the lockdown exhibited trust between the government and the NGO sector. The selfless service of the voluntary sector has been possible because of the liberal framework of the SR Act 1860, the petition added.

Even for-profit companies are not required to renew their registration in this manner under the Companies Act. We will request you to strengthen the record management systems of the registrar of the societies set up through a revamp system, the petition said.