KATHMANDU, Nepal–At a time scores of national and international non-governmental organizations (I/NGO) have expanding their networks across the country in name of poverty alleviation, social development and study of climate change among other issues, the National Vigilance Center (NVC) formed under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has begun scanning their activities after many of them found to be involved in fraud activities.
The I/NGOs have sometime been enduring the charges of unnecessarily breaching the country’s sovereignty and independence, which are the key foundations and basis of the foreign policy of the country.
The sole agency to control the illegal activities of the I/NGOs in Nepal is Social Welfare Council (SWC) constituted under the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and the panel is also learnt to have investigating upon SWC, the regulatory authority for I/NGOs.
The government blamed SWC of failing to rein the INGOs working without maintaining transparency as per the prevailing laws and regulations.
The NVC has intensified its task by forming a five member panel led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Bijay Kumar Shrestha and is studying the suspicious activities of I/NGOs. The panel has also asking the government about extending its incumbency to dig out the truth and make the investigation process more transparent since the period fixed by the government was not sufficient.
As per the data of SWC, the INGOs alone are carrying out regular programs worth around Rs 32.67 billion. A total of 270 INGOs have been expanding their networks across the country in the sectors like bilateral relations, ethnicity among other sensitive issues, according to SWC.
