Anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare has opposed the Maharashtra government’s move to prevent non-governmental organisations from using the words ‘anti-corruption’ or ‘corruption eradication’ in their names after allegations of dubious activities.
The Joint Charity Commissioner, Pune, had served notice on 15 NGOs, asking them to strike off from their names references to ‘corruption’, the ‘anti’ prefixed to corruption and affixes signifying the eradication of corruption. He argued that some of these organisations used the ‘anti-corruption’ tag to pressure bureaucrats to cough up money. The notice further recommended that such NGOs rename themselves.
Mr. Hazare’s Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Andolan Nyas (BVJAN), based at Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district, was among the NGOs that received the notice.
“Changing an NGO’s name is no solution. This is unjust to those [NGOs] which have been doing an exemplary work in tackling corruption,” Mr. Hazare said, speaking from Ralegan Siddhi. While some NGOs sullied their names by indulging in shady activities, most came out with innovative methods to curb corruption, he said
