NGOs asked to delete words like ‘human rights’ from titles

PUNE: Maharashtra charity commissioner Shivkumar Dige has directed all charitable organisations not to use the words “bhrashtachar nirmulan” (corruption free) and “manavadhikar” (human rights) in their names.
He has given a month to the organizations to change the titles if there’s a mention of the words. Of the 8 lakh charitable trusts in the state, the commissioner said nearly 500 organizations use the words .
In his order on Thursday, Dige said the directive was issued because taking action against corruption was the government’s responsibility.He asked the officials to ensure action against the groups refusing to delete the words.
Dige said the order was based upon a report from the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission that cited instances of organizations that used the two words and fleeced public as well.
The order came in the wake of the arrest of five persons, including a home guard and a police personnel’s wife, on the charge of extorting shopkeepers under the guise of running an NGO.
As the former joint charity commissioner in 2015, Dige had sent notices to NGOs with the word “bhrashtachar” in their names. The Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Andolan Nyas of Anna Hazare was among the NGOs .
Its officer bearer, Sanjay Pathare, admitted to have received the notice from the charity commissioner’s office (Pune division) and said the group had moved the district court. “Our issue is in court. The new order will not be applicable for us,” Pathare said.
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