Director’s Desk Recently the Planning Commission of India has come out with a National Policy on the Voluntary Sector (NPVS), based on the Eleventh Five Year Plan recommendations. Government of India has closely examined the role of the voluntary sector from time to time and understood its strategic importance. The Policy is committed “to encourage, enable and empower an independent, creative and effective voluntary sector, with diversity in form and function, so that it can contribute to the social, cultural and economic advancement of the people of India�. The Policy Statement appreciates the fact that, the voluntary sector has contributed significantly to finding innovative solutions to poverty, deprivation, discrimination and exclusion, through means such as awareness raising, social mobilization, service delivery, training, research, and advocacy. The voluntary sector has been serving as an effective link between the people and the Government. This policy recognizes the important role that the voluntary sector has to play in various areas and affirms the growing need for collaboration with the voluntary sector by the Government, as well as by the private sector, at the local, provincial and national levels. Based on the National policy, in collaboration with voluntary organizations, the actionable strategies have to be evolved. More over, all the provincial governments also have to develop their own state policies considering the particular and local social, cultural and economic situation Taking into consideration the above two factors SAFP takes leading role to organize a national conference in partnership with 42 Non Governmental Voluntary Organizations from different states of India. This will help the participating organizations to get clarity on the policy and understand the scope of the policy. Also they will discuss on the possible actionable strategies to be evolved on the policy and try to pressurize the state governments to speed up the process of developing state policies.
The policy has three key focal areas: (a) Establishing an enabling environment for the Voluntary Sector (b) Strengthening the Voluntary Sector (c) Nurturing a partnership in development These are three abstract areas in which concrete operational strategies need to be evolved. India today is a fast growing economy, with limited growth spillover, and significant regional imbalances. Inclusive growth strategy of the Eleventh Plan implies that large sections of society are excluded from the growth process. The development challenges and imperatives of the Country in recent times has been broadly reflected in the Policy. Concrete ideas, based on live experience in the field who are really working with the poor at the grass root, need to emerge and this is vital for strategy formulation.