ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: National Assembly Standing Committee on Local Government and Rural Development on Friday asked the government to “strictly monitor” funds of the civil society organisations (CSOs).

In a meeting chaired by Haji Rozuddin, the committee also expressed its concern over the involvement various CSOs in activities which were against the norms and traditions of the rural community.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Rozuddin explained that CSOs had their own hidden agendas and playing with cultural and religious sensitivities of the rural communities.

“Members of the committee have raised their serious objections to the utilisation of massive funds they (CSOs) receive from both national and international donors and wanted their strict scrutiny,” he said while responding to a question.

The committee has asked the ministries concerned to come up with an effective strategy through which funding to the NGOs is adequately monitored, so that they would pursue only those projects that are approved by the public representatives. When contacted, Minister of State for Local Government and Rural Development Shamshad Sattar Bachani said CSOs did not understand the cultural sensitivities of local communities, instead they worked on their own pre-determined projects.

There is a vast difference between how the rural communities see the world and the NGOs workers who are better informed and exposed to the world, she said, adding that, therefore, they (NGOs) should be extra careful while working on certain projects.

Referring to interior Sindh, she said: “It is in my personal experience that non-governmental organisations exploit illiterate girls by employing them in various business ventures. They use them to produce local products and earn lots of money, but these poor girls are meagerly paid.” She cited the example of India while explaining the role of NGOs, where they help rural communities to improve their living standards through proper education.

She was of the view that NGOs should open vocational institutes, and provide them professional training so that they (rural communities) could earn respectable livelihoods by themselves.

The meeting also called for the active involvement of public representatives in identification of the development schemes undertaken by the government.