NATIONAL ACCREDITATION COUNCIL OF INDIA

1. NATIONAL ACCREDITATION COUNCIL OF INDIA

2. NATIONAL ACCREDITATION COUNCIL OF INDIA • The National Accreditation Council of India (NACI) will have its headquarters in New Delhi. • NACI will be autonomous organisation and if considered necessary, it may obtain mutual recognition vis a vis other bodies involved with similar accreditation schemes in other countries/regions through bilateral/multilateral arrangements.

3. THE PRIMARY AIM OF NACI WILL BE • To promote and coordinate initiatives on national accreditation as well as accountability for building confidence in the voluntary organisations. • To generate consciousness in the country about the important role of charity/donations through accreditation and accountability guidelines, by conducting seminar and other forms of promotion and promoting accountability among voluntary organisations to stakeholders through various means. • To establish sector specific national/state level accreditation boards for voluntary organisations in various sectors like health, advocacy, education, capacity building etc. • The NACI will be a facilitating body and not a policing body.

4. The functions of the Council may be to look at the following: (a) Self- assessment(b) External Review of the Voluntary Organisations. The parameters of such review could be based on (i) registration (ii) an unique identification No. such as a DIN as applicable to company Directors, (iii) on line self assessment, (iv) field test on a sample basis

5. ACCREDITATION OF NGOS MAY BE DONE • Through self evaluation/external evaluation. • Keeping in view the large number of voluntary organisations, it would be prudent to move step by step. Thus in the first phase the process of accreditation will be only through self-assessment. • The validity of accreditation will be for five years and a one time registration fee of Rs 500/ only will have to be paid. In addition there will be annual charges of Rs 100/ per annum. The accredited voluntary organisations will be expected to update their profiles from time to time. In case of failure to update or to pay their annual subscription, registration will lapse automatically. • Once removed, the NGO will have to go through the process de novo to obtain registration.

6. SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR THE NACI The department of Statistics while conducting a survey of voluntary organisations has collected data of about 23 lakhs voluntary organisations restricting the definition of VOs to organisations registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and the Bombay Public Trust Act. This provides a data base for the NACI. There is also a strong case for considering organisations registered under Trade Unions Act or the Section 25 of the Companies, Act 1956 as voluntary organisations. Reportedly, the Ministry of Law is also working on having an all India Act for registering voluntary organisations.

7. THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS • The voluntary organisations keen on receiving accreditation will be required to fill up an online form. The particulars given in this form will be verified electronically using information collected from other sources like the Department of Statistics, Planning Commission, Income Tax Department etc. • Income Tax department may be requested to provide information about NGOs registered under 80(G)and 35(CC). • State govts would be requested to provide online information about the NGOs registered in their respective states. • Each voluntary organisation accredited through this process will be provided with an accreditation number and a password, to keep the information updated • All the information provided by voluntary organisations will be in public domain and will be freely accessible.

8. Income Tax Department will provide relief under section 80G and 35cc only to such organisations that get themselves accredited. • NACI will provide recognition to appropriate bodies according Sector specific registration • As accreditation of voluntary organisations is part of the national policy on voluntary sector, efforts may be made to establish it through an act of Parliament on the lines of Press Council of India/the Bar Council of India.

9. NACI will charge nominal fee of Rs. 500/- as fee for registration.Apart from trhis there will be an annual subscription of Rs 100/ only. 50% of this amount will go towards creation of fund that will work as Social Safety Fund for activists in distress/old age. This fund may be managed by CAPART. • Shri Gagan Sethi, a member of the sub group II has recommended that it is better to manage this fund by Unit Trust of India. • The essence of the system will be that only active NGOs remain on the register of NACI. • Routine works of the Council may be outsourced to professional agencies.

10. An effective Grievance Redressal Mechanism will be put in place to look into complaints of NGOs who fail to get themselves registered/ accredited.

11. RECOMMENDATION OF CORE GROUP ON ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS (CGAR) • Recommendation of setting up an independent body for accreditation of voluntary organizations is accepted. Modalities of constituting such a body may be worked out by the taskforce. • No separate law may need to be enacted for the purpose. Click here for link slide

12. NACI MAY HAVE AN EXECUTIVE COUNCIL COMPRISING • Member, Planning Commission dealing with voluntary action – Chairman • Director General, CAPART • Representative of Secretary, Ministry of Empowerment and Social Justice • Representative of Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, • Representative of Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology. • Representative of Secretary, Ministry of Human Resources Development • Representative of Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development • Representative of Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs • Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes • Representative of Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation • Two representatives of State Government departments with annual grants of at least Rs 5 crores to voluntary organisations. • Two representatives of international grant making organisations with annual grants to voluntary organisations of at least Rs 10 crores • Two representatives of Indian grant making organisations with annual giving of at least Rs 5 crores. • Secretary General, CII • Secretary General, FICCI • Secretary General, ASSOCHAM • President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India • Secretary General, Quality Council of India • Two representatives of other chambers of commerce and industry by rotation • Director General, NACI will be a professional to be selected from open market

13. MR. GAGAN SETHI’S VIEWS FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL • One senior member of a voluntary agency is to be incorporated as the Vice Chairperson • From d to I and l to m any two may be included. Representative of MHA and Chairman CBDT to remain as members. click here for link • 5 members of voluntary agencies representing north, south east, west and northeast (of which at least two are women) are to be included. • Secretary Generals of CII, FICCI not needed specifically. Secretary General ASSOCHAM not needed. • Two representatives of other chambers of commerce and industry may be included (by rotation) • Secretary General, Quality Council of India to be added • No need to select any Director General, NACI,a professional to be selected from open market.

14. Further comments received from Shri Gagan Sethi

15. Since the emphasis is on transparency and accountability, all the information provided to the National Accreditation Council of India will be in public domain and thus will be accessible to anyone who seeks it. Click here to view link Slide • For sector specific or state/region specific accreditation, the Council will provide recognition to other similar bodies working in the area. Click here to view link Slide • Press Council structure needs to be taken as a starting point with better innovations, keeping this accreditation committee as govt. committee is defeating the very purpose of both the consultations and the basic design of an autonomous yet accountable volag accreditation system. Click here to view link Slide • It has to be self regulatory, fiercely independent yet contribute to national development and aspirations of various stakeholders. From socially, economically and physically challenged or disadvantaged communities.

16. The Accreditation Council will take the minimum norms and desirable norms of credibility alliance and all NGOs will have to comply with them in a phased manner. (Three years) • NGOs with staff, volunteers of less than 20 and outlay less than 50 lakhs but upto 20 lakhs will have to comply with minimum norms and organisations having more than 20 staff and outlay of more than 50 lakhs should follow desirable norms. Smaller organisations than the above should give a declaration that there are at least 4 of the 7 members of governing board under society Registration Act. In the case of Bombay Public Trust Act at least two of the minimum three members on the Board are not to be blood related. • This ratio be kept on increase if no board/governing members and that the quorum cannot be complete if only the blood relatives are present.

17. THANK YOU