Bridging the Gap Between Law & Society: Role of NGOs (Paper)
- Udbhav Atre, Bharati Vidyapeeth New Law College, Pune
- August 30, 2021
Content :
India have always believed in the principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, i.e. entire world is one family. Non-Governmental Organisations too work on the same principle of voluntarily helping others. NGOs play a vital role in shaping the success of any country. It would not be wrong if we say, the main motto of the NGOs is - Working for the People - By the People - Of the People, NGOs are voluntary organizations, they are popularly known as NGOs because they are free from governmental control in their functioning. They work on the principle of democracy and are open for all those persons who thrive to bring a change in the society by working for the people. People in India have a long history of working and helping others. From time immemorial we have heard stories of how people used to help each other and co-operate in the times of difficulties, and this is how NGOs got established in India. NGOs works in various fields with their varied functions which includes,
Acting as a pressure group,
Acting as an enabler,
Acting as a social mediator,
Bridging the gap
Among all these responsibilities bridging the gap holds the most importance. Though all these works done by the NGOs are very impressive and important but not to forget that they have a bigger responsibility on their shoulders which is to bridge the gap between law and society or to be more exact making law and society more compatible. This paper beautifully takes you on a ride of explaining how NGOs act as connecting link between the law and the society. Law and Society are two sides of the same coin, one is incomplete without the other and thus they both are complimentary to each other. Non-Governmental Organisations mainly help in the legislative field by educating and spreading awareness regarding the laws and policy matters of the government. In case there is any law or policy against the general public, they also raises their voice for the same. Freedom of speech and expressions as correctly mentioned under article 19 of the Indian Constitution, gives each and every individual of the country, right to freely express what one feels. The working of NGOs upholds this particular right for the people - by the people. In a democratic country like India, it is quite important to support what is right and criticize what is wrong. Non-Governmental Organisations play a vital role in spreading the beneficial laws incorporated by the government for the benefit of the people, they work on the grass-root level and thus engages a large number of people with them. Also if any public policy is not working, how it should be at the grass root level, it with the support of the government organisations helps in declaring the particular policy as unconstitutional.
This paper also briefly examines how and when Non-Governmental Organisations were established in our country, followed by the roles and responsibilities carried on by them. At last the paper showcases how different organisations worked at the international level in bridging the gap between the law and society.
