From correspondents in Delhi, India, 05:37 PM IST

The Union Finance Minister of India, Mr. P Chidambaram, felicitated Goonj as the ‘NGO of the Year 2007’ at the Annual India NGO Awards ceremony organized by The Resource Alliance and The Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation in the capital today. These Awards were instituted in 2006 in recognition of best practices in resource mobilization, accountability and transparency amongst the voluntary sector in India. The awards function also saw Mr. N. R. Narayanamurthy, CEO & Chief mentor, Infosys Technologies Ltd. share the dais as the guest of honor and award the three National winners - Goonj in the Small Category, The Banyan and The Childline Foundation of India tied for the Medium Category winner and CRY - Child Rights & You in the Large Category .They were presented a trophy and a cash prize amount of Rs. 4, 00,000. Goonj was presented an additional prize amount of Rs. 2,00,000 as ‘NGO of the year’

Addressing the occasion, Mr. Chidambaram elicited, “these awards have encouraged the Non Profit sector to exhibit excellent work towards excellence and other CSOs to enhance their practices in accordance with the National Policy on the voluntary sector”.

This year The Resource Alliance and The Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation collaborated with COVA, Gram Vikas and SP Jain Institute of Management and Research to select and award the ‘NGO of the Year 2007’ in India. Three finalists each were selected from all four regions- north, south, east and west categorized as small, medium and large. The nominees were evaluated on effective and sustainable mobilization of resources from the local community, demonstration of efficient management of resources, good governance practices and transparency and accountability and the impact of the services it provides to its beneficiaries. Mr. Simon Collings, CEO, The Resource Alliance, during the ceremony added that, “India NGO Awards were launched with the aim of motivating NGOs in India, promoting financial and organizational stability, and strengthening community support of civil society, by recognizing the excellent work that they do in the voluntary sector.”

The Awardees were selected after a rigorous process of audits and multiple rounds of elimination conducted by the knowledge partners Grant Thornton and the eminent panel of jury members comprising of Mr. Ramesh Ramanathan (founder of Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy), Dr. Syeda Hameed (Member- Planning Commission, Government of India), Dr. Maxine Olson (United Nations Resident Coordinator), Mr. Deep Joshi (co-founder and former Executive Director of PRADAN), Mr. Vinod Chandiok (National Chairman of Grant Thornton India).

Amongst the 12 regional finalists were Goonj, Dream A Dream, The Banyan, Childline Foundation of India, Deepalya, CRY & CEE, BISWA to name a few.

Speaking on the occasion Anshu K. Gupta from Goonj said, “These awards have promoted the cause of Non-profit organizations like ours and have given us a platform to adopt transparent and accountable systems of governance and management.”

There is a strong need to bring up the standards of accounting and governance in this sector. These awards have been given out to raise the credibility of the non-profit sector and ensure sustainability of a programme in the long run. Mr. Don Mohanlal, President, The Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation concluded that, “We congratulate the winners and indeed all the finalists of the India NGO Awards 2007. They epitomize best practices in self governance and accountability. Leading by example, they are setting the ultimate standard for civil society organizations to emulate. We hope that other organizations will be encouraged to focus on transparency, effectiveness and impact on the ground.”

Source: Press Release Distribution via India PRwire