Why NGOs want to help but can’t

Civil society organizations are crucial for last-mile delivery of services and relief, especially when a pandemic is raging. Yet the restrictive new FCRA rules have left them starved of funds and unable to respond to those in need.

Four days.

That’s how long the family of six—a day labourer, his ailing, widowed mother, his homemaker wife, and three children—in Khajuri Khas, northeast Delhi, had gone without food. The man, his livelihood lost to the lockdown imposed in Delhi since 19 April to fight the second wave of COVID-19, had tried his best to put two square meals on the table, but this wiped out his meagre savings. His small pantry had run out of staples. 

By the end of day four, hunger and the sunken eyes of his children forced his self-respect and shame into submission. He picked …

Author

Pradip K. Saha

Pradip is a co-founder at The Morning Context and leads our newsletters vertical. He has previously worked at The Ken as a staff writer, at Mint as an assistant features editor and the Deccan Chronicle as a copy editor. He works with a slew of expert newsletter writers across subjects and domains. His own writing spans the gig economy, farmers caught in the crossfire of technology, global warming and parents trapped in the edtech wave. Some of his best stories have come at the intersection of technology and human endeavour.

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pradip@mailtmc.com

Delhi