<p>Social entrepreneur Anshu Gupta and whistleblower Sanjiv Chaturvedi richly deserve the Ramon Magsaysay award conferred on them this year. The award is recognition of their excellent work. Gupta, the founder of the NGO Goonj won the Magsaysay for “transforming the culture of giving in India.” The award citation draws attention to his “enterprising leadership in treating cloth as a sustainable development resource for the poor.” As for Chaturvedi, a bureaucrat who was chief vigilance officer at the All-India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) till his removal last year, he challenged several powerful politicians to expose financial irregularities. Importantly, he took forward the disclosure of corruption by going to court in several cases. He exposed corruption in the AIIMS. The Magsaysay Award does more than honour its recipient’s work and contribution to society. It draws media and public attention to their work and the challenges they overcame. It draws others to their causes. The honouring of Gupta and Chaturvedi will hopefully serve to strengthen their hands.<br /><br />The Magsaysay award to Gupta and Chaturvedi comes at a critical time for NGO and social activists in India. They are under pressure from the government and sections of society, which are questioning their patriotism and dubious work. Indeed, there are NGOs that are focused on furthering the agenda of their foreign donors. There are activists too who are running veritable ‘businesses’ that thrive on human misery. Gupta’s Goonj has shown that NGOs can do good work and make a difference to mitigate human suffering and the impact of poverty. It should remind the Narendra Modi government to desist from painting all NGOs with the same brush.<br /><br />Chaturvedi’s work will provide inspiration to thousands of activists as well as honest bureaucrats who are taking on powerful vested interests to end corruption and exploitation. His struggle was not easy. For disclosing corruption of ministers and politicians, he was transferred 12 times in six years and even slapped with trumped up FIRs, accused of abetting suicide etc. However, he did not allow this intimidation and harassment to stand in the way of his commitment to his principles. By not letting a corrupt system cow him down, Chaturvedi has been able to bring in change, however small, in our society. This should inspire NGOs and activists unfairly targeted by the NDA government over the past year. Their struggle against big business houses backed by the government to fight for the rights of the poor has earned the wrath of the powerful. But perseverance will pay. They must keep the faith. <br /></p>
<p>Social entrepreneur Anshu Gupta and whistleblower Sanjiv Chaturvedi richly deserve the Ramon Magsaysay award conferred on them this year. The award is recognition of their excellent work. Gupta, the founder of the NGO Goonj won the Magsaysay for “transforming the culture of giving in India.” The award citation draws attention to his “enterprising leadership in treating cloth as a sustainable development resource for the poor.” As for Chaturvedi, a bureaucrat who was chief vigilance officer at the All-India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) till his removal last year, he challenged several powerful politicians to expose financial irregularities. Importantly, he took forward the disclosure of corruption by going to court in several cases. He exposed corruption in the AIIMS. The Magsaysay Award does more than honour its recipient’s work and contribution to society. It draws media and public attention to their work and the challenges they overcame. It draws others to their causes. The honouring of Gupta and Chaturvedi will hopefully serve to strengthen their hands.<br /><br />The Magsaysay award to Gupta and Chaturvedi comes at a critical time for NGO and social activists in India. They are under pressure from the government and sections of society, which are questioning their patriotism and dubious work. Indeed, there are NGOs that are focused on furthering the agenda of their foreign donors. There are activists too who are running veritable ‘businesses’ that thrive on human misery. Gupta’s Goonj has shown that NGOs can do good work and make a difference to mitigate human suffering and the impact of poverty. It should remind the Narendra Modi government to desist from painting all NGOs with the same brush.<br /><br />Chaturvedi’s work will provide inspiration to thousands of activists as well as honest bureaucrats who are taking on powerful vested interests to end corruption and exploitation. His struggle was not easy. For disclosing corruption of ministers and politicians, he was transferred 12 times in six years and even slapped with trumped up FIRs, accused of abetting suicide etc. However, he did not allow this intimidation and harassment to stand in the way of his commitment to his principles. By not letting a corrupt system cow him down, Chaturvedi has been able to bring in change, however small, in our society. This should inspire NGOs and activists unfairly targeted by the NDA government over the past year. Their struggle against big business houses backed by the government to fight for the rights of the poor has earned the wrath of the powerful. But perseverance will pay. They must keep the faith. <br /></p>
