Investing In Bharat's Future: Strengthening Social Sector For Sustainable Change

Since 2014, under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, Bharat has been focusing on achieving the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, a self-reliant Bharat. This has been showcased through several significant initiatives for all citizens. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which aimed to provide every citizen with access to clean sanitation facilities, stands as a testament to the government's commitment to improving the quality of life for all. Mission LiFE: A Bharat-led global mass movement to nudge individual and community action to protect and preserve the environment. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana has brought millions into the formal banking sector, fostering financial inclusion. The Ayushman Bharat-PM Jan Arogya Yojana has made quality healthcare accessible to the economically weaker sections, further emphasising the commitment to inclusive development. ‘Nari Shakti’ is a critical component of economic and societal progress, and since 2014, our government has encouraged behavioural shifts in Indian society through initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, launched in 2015, a globally acclaimed scheme that serves as a clarion call to support and empower women. In the spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas, women have been equal beneficiaries of all government schemes and initiatives. 

The Digital India campaign is a significant stride towards a technologically proficient populace. The mission was launched in 2015 to make government services accessible to citizens electronically through enhanced online infrastructure and internet connectivity. In today’s day and age, access to the internet is practically universal, which has been made possible through our government’s vision of providing digital infrastructure as a source of utility to every single citizen, good governance and governance on demand, and the use of digitalisation to empower the people of our country. Through schemes such as Start-Up India, launched in 2016, we have taken significant steps towards becoming a hub of innovation and prosperity. In 2021–22, Indian start-ups raised a record 35 billion dollars, and in 2022–23, they followed with 24 billion dollars of funding. Today, Bharat has the 2nd largest ecosystem of entrepreneurs in the world. The dynamic NEP 2020 takes a quality-centric outlook towards imparting education. The policy suggests several innovative reforms, such as formalising early childhood education, multilingualism, no hard separation between streams, the usage of technology to enable access to learning, skill development, and so on. 

Bharat’s biggest aspiration in the coming 25 years is to attain ‘Aatmanirbharta’, or self-reliance. Today, we have the largest population of youth in the world who can drive these aspirations. Today, the Government of India’s outlay on the social sector stands at Rs 21.03 lakh crore, which is a sizable 46 prr cent of the overall Union Budget. A plethora of achievements under the NDA’s governance serve to illustrate our strides towards becoming a ‘Vishwaguru’.    

During Amrit Kaal, Bharat has been on a journey towards progress and prosperity. But this development is not just economic but socio-economic, and the civil society organisations (CSOs) serve as one of the most critical pillars supporting this journey. Studies by credible international institutions such as the UNDP’s Human Development Report show a direct correlation between social sector welfare and the development of a country. The UNDP Human Development Report suggests that a nation's success should be evaluated not solely on economic output but also on the extent to which growth translates into tangible improvements in people's lives. The OECD Better Life Index emphasises inclusion as a crucial indicator of a country's overall growth and prosperity. It underscores that a nation's success goes beyond economic metrics and should encompass factors like social cohesion, equal opportunities, and reduced inequality. The index acknowledges that societies fostering inclusivity tend to experience higher well-being, improved quality of life, and sustainable development, reflecting a holistic approach to measuring a country's advancement. 

CSOs, working in the social sector, have joined forces with the government to ensure the upliftment of the underserved sections of society and build the country from the grassroots upward. CSOs identify gaps in implementation, offer insights, and relentlessly work for change where necessary, ensuring everyone’s progress. They have proved to be pivotal in reaching the ‘first mile’ of Bharat and increasing the efficiency of different initiatives by the Government of India. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, CSOs worked tirelessly on the ground in the face of several hurdles. These roadblocks tested the resilience of CSOs, with fatigue and responsibilities wearing some of them out and even forcing several organisations to stop functioning. However, these hurdles could not break their spirit and their determination to constantly support the most vulnerable sections of our society, carried them onwards. The dedication of CSOs demonstrated that even in the most challenging times, their resolve to serve the community remains unshaken. 

While CSOs have been playing a crucial role in Bharat’s development journey, they must also take care of their organisational development and well-being. Like any other organisation, CSOs should invest in their own capacity-building. They should keep a check on resources, talent, technology, communications, operations, systems, and processes. A hygiene check will help them improve their functioning by streamlining internal as well as external processes and rearranging the organisational setup to maximise their impact on the ground. CSOs should have the efficient capacity to invest in their own growth. This includes optimising factors such as sustainable infrastructure, hiring the right talent, and adopting cutting-edge technology for improved efficiency and communication. Implementing a holistic capacity-building programme is essential to enabling these CSOs to develop their strategies systematically and progressively. This should include support in the form of training, capacity-building programmes, and access to resources to enhance their effectiveness. This can help the CSOs become resilient and future-ready to face any challenges. 

For the above to become a reality, a collaborative strategy involving crucial stakeholders within the social sector ecosystem would be appropriate to consider. Leveraging the knowledge and influence of various stakeholders can facilitate the provision of financial support and technical knowledge to enhance the capabilities of CSOs. For instance, The GROW Fund by EdelGive Foundation brought together several funding organisations to aid 100 CSOs operating across Bharat, spanning various sectors like climate, animal welfare, education, gender rights, health, and poverty. By embracing a collaborative methodology, The GROW Fund also conducted training sessions on capacity building, enabling CSOs to pinpoint areas requiring improvement and take proactive measures to address them. This motivated CSOs to maintain their own well-being while focusing on various social development programmes as their key mandate. 

Bharat's development journey is a collective endeavour, with CSOs serving as strong pillars of support. The central government's focus has been on introducing transformative schemes while strengthening the social sector to lay a strong foundation for progress. As we are living in the Amrit Kaal, holistic accomplishments serve as building blocks to pave the way for a resilient, empowered, and influential Bharat. As we stride towards our aspirations, let us affirm our goal of supplementing socio-economic growth with social welfare for all, so that no one is left behind in our diverse and expansive population, which constitutes the true wealth of the country.
The author, Dr. Anil Agrawal, is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Member, Standing Committee on Health & Family Welfare, Member, Standing Committee on Information Technology and Member, Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports