Partnership in Rural Development

In the previous post we learned about Institutional Mechanism for Rural Development The objective of this post is to comprehend partnership's guiding principles and ideas.should be aware of the significance and operation of GO-NGO partnerships for rural development. to learn more about the difficulties that GOs and NGOs are having putting rural development programs into action.

Content

Introduction
The Definition of Partnership
Characteristics of Good Partnership
GO-NGO Partnership
Types of GO-NGO Partnership
Principles of GO-NGO Partnership
Rural Development through Government Initiatives
Rural Development through GO-NGO Partnership
Advantages of Partnership
Disadvantages of Partnership

Introduction

There is a perception that collaboration is preferable to working alone. Partnerships, an efficient method of teamwork, function under various local conditions, based on the specifics of the issues at hand, the institutional setting, political variables, personal experiences, and cultural norms. In the age of globalization, partnerships are a hot topic everywhere. The idea of partnership is now widely employed in a variety of contexts, including business, academia, and even family life. Responsible actors work together to leverage their strengths and take advantage of opportunities presented by partnerships and synergy. Partnership is much more than just a current phrase in style. It actually demands a radical change in the way we think about and, most importantly, build relationships with others.

Partnerships are widely acknowledged as being crucial to 21st-century development practice. The idea has gained such widespread acceptance as being essential to the accomplishment of eradicating poverty that its appearance in an increasing number of official publications is now almost taken for granted. Similar to the idea of sustainability, it is applied equitably across a variety of various types of relationships, frequently with an inadequately rigorous assessment of either its meaning or its substance. Given the extensive criticism of public-private partnerships in the wealthier nations of Europe and North America, as well as the ongoing criticism of the role of global capital in development by radical academics, this widespread acceptance of partnership in the development of community is all the more remarkable.

If partnerships are to function well and have a lasting impact, they must adopt a long-term strategy. A vision for the region that focuses on the outcome to be achieved, an action plan that identifies short-term priorities, and a coordinated working program that includes activities and measures that will help achieve long-term outcomes are all required as part of this strategy for area-based partnerships.

As a partnership establishes shared goals, they are held accountable for achieving these goals. As a result, they must concur that monitoring and assessment are important guiding concepts. It is crucial to do this right away in order to clarify any uncertainties about the partnership's success and the financial commitments made and to demonstrate the added value of the partnership's efforts. These queries will come up from both within the partnership as well as the outside world. Partners must show where and how they are successful; if not, they must explain how their plan will be modified.

The Definition of Partnership

A partnership is a cross-sector collaboration in which organizations cooperate in a transparent, equitable, and mutually beneficial manner in order to achieve a sustainable goal. Parties to a partnership must agree to commit resources to it and share both the risks and the rewards that come with it. A legal agreement between two or more parties that have decided to collaborate in the pursuit of common objectives can also be referred to as a partnership.

Partnership is a type of formal agreement that veers toward philosophy. It is a strategy for improving performance in achieving a shared objective by shared accountability and resource-pooling by various agents, whether they are public or private, collective or individual. Such a collaborative approach typically results in an improved capacity to address issues whose resolution spans the division of labor and/or centers on a specific locality. The agents in a partnership might bring conflicting or competing interests, as well as different perspectives, ideologies, and cultural backgrounds; therefore, in democratic and legally regulated contexts, they seek to act together without losing their distinct professional identities, without blurring their powers and interests in an unacceptable or illegal manner, and without losing accountability.

Partnership, according to Marvin Snider (2001), is a relationship formed between two or more individuals in a cooperative endeavor to achieve a common objective for mutual benefit. A partnership is defined by The Legal Term Company as "a voluntary association of two or more persons for the purpose of engaging in business as a partnership for profit." Even if there might not be a written partnership agreement signed between the partners, partnerships are deemed to exist where partners really share earnings and losses proportionately. The definition of a partnership according to the Web Dictionary is "a sort of commercial entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of business activity in which all have participated." A partnership is an undertaking of two or more people to carry on, as co-owners, a business or other enterprise for profit; an agreement between or among two or more people to put their money, labor, and skill into commerce or business, and to divide the profit in agreed-upon proportions. Cathy (2001) broadened the definition and included both relationship and business as well as social in her reasoning.

Based on the discussion above, it can be concluded that a partnership is a voluntarily formed alliance between two or more people or entities with the intention of mutually assisting each other. In this affiliation, there may be a formal or informal agreement, a shared commitment to a long-term or short-term engagement, and mutually shared goals and ideals. This is something that many nations have encountered, for example, the Canadian Rural Partnership, Japan's latest trade push, Microsoft, and US government agencies' initiative to support foreign development, etc. Previously, the Government was completely in charge of the development. But as time went on and the situation altered, Greater effort is required in disaster-prone and areas of extreme poverty in addition to government activities. This highlights the necessity of NGOs in development efforts. It has been shown that NGOs' active involvement is beneficial to India's overall and social development, and they have gained the respect of international donors and organizations. In India, GO-NGO partnerships have developed to advance society overall more quickly because NGOs can more easily reach the underprivileged.

Characteristics of Good Partnership

To elaborate on the concept of partnership, it may be argued that it is a partnership to carry out an action jointly for the benefit of all parties, bringing about results that could not be obtained by a single partner acting alone, and minimizing duplication of efforts. By pooling resources and using them more effectively, a successful partnership fosters creativity, increases the impact and efficacy of actions, and is characterized by a strong commitment from each partner. Basic local guidelines must be established and agreed upon in order to succeed for an extended period of time. Political will, resource allocation, and financial support are all crucial.

Cooperation within a partnership is collaborative; it will be successful if the partners have a common strategic vision, work toward similar goals, and are treated equally within the organizational structure as a whole. In this context, the idea of ownership is frequently used to define the emotional ties that bind the institutions and individuals participating, which, ideally, should be with the partnership and not with other, external organizations. As a result, the partnership should be able to unite many players in both cooperative action and cooperative attempts to bring about change.

A partnership needs a recognizable, independent structure to enable it create its identity if it is to be effective. Both permanence and flexibility should be included in the framework. It is advantageous if it has some political independence and a certain level of autonomy.

GO-NGO Partnership

A partnership between a government and a nongovernmental organization (GO-NGO) is defined as one where both parties assume responsibility for delivering social services within the legal and policy frameworks that control how a nation responds to its social needs and issues. In the most recent development, GO-NGO Partnership has spread over the world. The common objective of both GO and NGO is the eradication of poverty through community involvement and the mobilization of the underprivileged into various community-based groups. GONGO Partnership is more prominently projected when government resources are insufficient to meet societal needs, gender discrimination is pervasive in society and at work, the Dalit, Adivasi, and other disadvantaged groups are on the rise, and government ministries/departments are unable to reach out to the unreached to meet those needs, all of which call for a joint effort by the government and NGOs.

Types of GO-NGO Partnership

Consultative Partnership

Institutions that want to forge new connections with other organizations in order to trade information experience this. Regular gatherings, such as consultations or dialogues, are planned to act as a first method of getting to know other institutions by exchanging experiences, thoughts, and opinions.

Coordinative Partnership

Here, efforts are made to prevent overlap in activities and coordinate various institutional initiatives for improved field operations efficiency and effectiveness. Interagency committees and activities are typically created to conduct a checklist or inventory of project interventions in the communities as a starting point for collaboration. An illustration would be the joint relief operations of the government and non-governmental organizations, where an interagency group is set up to prevent overlap in the provision of aid to earthquake victims.

Complementary Partnership

In this type or level of interaction, both parties are guided by a common program framework that is defined by deliberate efforts to support one another, even though each has own initiatives. NGOs have taken the initiative to carry out land transfer programs inside the CARP framework and procedure, as an example, as part of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Programme of the Aquino Government.

Collaborative Partnership

Both organizations committed to working together in this relationship, sharing a common vision, setting shared goals, and developing plans of action at the program level. Institutionalized mechanisms make it easier to deliver services to the communities they are intended for.

Principles of GO-NGO Partnership

Equality: Equal partnership for all partners, regardless of their relative equality and size, is required for equality. Participants must acknowledge and respect each other's commitments and mandates as well as their independence. Mutual respect must not prevent groups from expressing constructive disagreement.

Transparency: Transparency is achieved by transparency, with a focus on early consultations and information exchange. Organizational trust is boosted via communications and transparency, especially financial transparency.

Result-oriented Approach: Realistic and action-focused humanitarian efforts are essential. This calls for coordinated action that is focused on achieving goals and is grounded on practical operational competencies.

Responsibility: Humanitarian organizations owe it to one another to carry out their tasks in a way that is ethically right, relevant, and suitable. They must be careful to only commit to activities when they have the resources, know-how, capability, and ability to follow through on their commitments. Additionally, a continuous effort must be made to avoid abuse by humanitarians with firmness and vigor.

Complementarily: If we build on our comparative advantages and enhance one another's contributions, the diversity of the humanitarian community is a strength. One of the most important assets to develop and grow upon is local capacity. Humanitarian groups should make an effort to integrate their work into emergency response whenever possible. Cultural and linguistic obstacles must be removed.

Rural Development through Government Initiatives:

India's steady and long-term economic prosperity has been largely attributed to its focus on agriculture and rural development. The same is more prominently on display now as a result of the government's significant interest in ensuring a thorough and noticeable improvement of this sector through the successful execution of numerous projects (Jain:2011). The Ministry of Rural Development, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and Khadi and Village Industries Commission are primarily responsible for the administration of the government's extensive rural development programs (KVIC). In addition to a few independent organizations like the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRD), and Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), the National Institute of Rural Development also collaborates with the government to improve rural India.

As a unit that develops policies, the central administration of rural development plays a crucial part in the process of rural development. Additionally, it serves as the financial source for the execution of programs for rural development. The Ministry of Rural Development, which is the focal ministry for the fight against rural poverty, has been focusing on land reform, village and cottage industries, rural roads, town and country planning in rural areas, rural electrification, rural water supply, housing for landless rural people, and rural connectivity. In the absence of the financial support supplied by the Center for the different schemes, the state governments would have found it difficult and nearly impossible to implement these programs, especially for the weaker members of society. Through its assessment studies, the Union Government has also been providing the essential feedback to aid in mid-course adjustments to the projects.

The limitations of the Central Government's efforts to support efficient rural development at the local level have repeatedly been demonstrated by India's development experience. In order to successfully implement development programs designed for the poor, there was an urgent need of the hour for an alternative institution, and it was a non-governmental organization. This trend is becoming more and more obvious as a result of the global fiscal crisis, the need for increased human resource development within the economic likelihood, health, nutrition status, and overall wellbeing of the rural poor, as well as (NGO). The growing understanding that the central government and private sector lack the capacity to respond to the transformation of poverty alleviation is reflected in the rise of NGOs as a potent institutional alternative. 2003 (Shankar). The formation of adequate plan schemes, the use of efficient delivery mechanisms, and an appropriate policy framework are all necessary for the successful implementation of development programs in the age of globalization. The activity and expertise of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs)/NGOs have garnered direct focus over the past 20 years in this broad area of the developmental process. 2002 (Ravichandran).

The unsustainable development pattern is one of the most pressing issues facing the global community today, and it must be addressed in order to advance the interests of all societal segments. Partnership is required by the circumstances, and successful partnership has emerged as the new millennium's guiding principle. Although certain initiatives have been taken to strengthen the working relationship between GOs and Vos, much work has to be done to strengthen the partnership.

A partnership is an effort on the part of an NGO to speak with the government directly about what it sees as crucial development issues. Although it may have evolved from less than cordial beginnings, the professional relationship is generally regarded as favorable. (Riley: 2002). NGOs may feel compelled to confront the government in order to express their concerns about a situation if a GO has been unwilling to respond to public uproar.

India's GO-NGO relationship is the result of centuries of voluntary efforts throughout the nation, including the colonial government's involvement. Before the existence of a modern Indian State, as Seth and Sethi (1991) noted, the concept of NGOs as institutions visibly distinct from the Government was not widely accepted in India. Making distinctions between the actions of the government and those welfare and development initiatives that originated outside the state framework and within society was made feasible by the establishment and recognition of a distinct national entity. In India, the GO-NGO Partnership is becoming more prevalent in a variety of sectors, including:

i) Age Care;
ii) Agriculture;
iii) Animal Welfare;
iv) Art and Craft;
v) Children;
vi) Urban Development;
vii) Rural Development;
viii) Culture Heritage;
ix) Disability;
x) Education;
xi) Environment;
xii) Health;
xiii) Human Resource;
xiv) Science and

Rural Development through GO-NGO Partnership:

GOs have a significant impact on society. Since Independence, social development has been a top goal for government programs, and in cooperation with nonprofits, they have been crucial allies in addressing social issues that arise at the local level (DCWC: 2010). In order to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for the poor, government organizations have been executing a number of programs in various areas in partnership with NGOs. A lot of these programs have also included partnership between NGOs and the government. To ensure that governmental and non-governmental groups complement one another and improve quality in achieving the goals of the programs, there is a need for mutual reinforcement and synergy. Here, a case from the Indian state of Assam is discussed.

The villages of Assam lack the necessities of life, including housing, healthcare, education, access to clean water, rural connection, and communication infrastructure. There is no denying that Assam's rural districts are where poverty is concentrated. Since the majority of the state's population resides in rural areas, Assam's poverty problem is unique to rural areas. Even though it is believed that India is a country of villages, the benefits of the current upliftment program for the rural population do not genuinely help them. The people manage to meet their fundamental necessities by eating and dressing only partially. Just as the body cannot operate correctly without a limb, the state cannot develop to the bare minimum if a crucial bodily part is kept apart. Since India gained independence, eradicating poverty has been a top priority of its successive governments' development programs. The implicit goal of all socioeconomic initiatives started under various five year plans has been the attainment of a minimal standard of living for all within a reasonable amount of time. Since the 1970s, there have been consistent and significant attempts in this direction. Since then, numerous policies and programs have been put in place by the State as well as the Central to combat rural poverty. The speed of progress is incredibly slow, and the gap is still vast, even if change is occurring as a result of several measures implemented by succeeding governments. The Assam State Government placed emphasis on GO-NGO Partnership to close the gap, and the UPA Government at the Center started the Bharat Nirman programs to transform rural India's appearance. The Bharat Nirman Program has identified six crore locations for infrastructure improvement that will be implemented in a fair amount of time. These include rural housing, rural water supply, irrigation, rural power, and rural telephone access.

Along with the Bharat Nirman Program, the government has started a number of additional programs in the areas of justice, health, education, environment, human resources, agriculture, and child labor. The following programs are being carried out by the individual state governments, while some of them are being carried out by NGOs in accordance with the GO-NGO Partnership model.

Advantages of Partnership

Both parties can actively participate in decision-making in a partnership. Building relationships and exchanging ideas are part of the partnership process and activities. Both parties have put in time and money to make it happen. Successful GO-NGO partnerships allow each party to focus on their strengths in order to accomplish a shared objective. Partnership can lead to advances in a variety of fields, including politics, security, socioculture, and human affairs. A partnership may bring in a variety of resources, including knowledge and skills that an organization does not have. In general, a partnership may allow the parties to profit from scale economies (e.g. in terms of finance, marketing, administration or production). In terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of the partnership "Partnership can considerably increase an individual organization's efficacy and efficiency, notably through increased coordination between organizations, thus building synergy between multiple entities and decreasing needless duplication," according to Ronald (1998). Partnership increases efficacy by fostering stability, fostering community trust, and lowering risk for partners. Partnerships assist NGOs in achieving partnership and financial sustainability.

Disadvantages of Partnership

Partnerships provide advantages, but they often have drawbacks. There is frequently an unsatisfactory clash of culture and ideology when GO and NGO join together. Regarding philosophical differences among partners, Ronald (1998) believed that merging public and private management techniques and philosophies under one partnership organization, or a partnership without a clear contract, may provide a challenge. Except for a few constituted bodies, GOs frequently favor to follow traditional methods of working while NGOs do so, which invariably results in issues. Both parties in a partnership must obey one another's commands. In GO-NGO partnerships, NGOs must follow GO commands in order to safeguard their own interests. When there are two parties involved, the process can occasionally take longer. Government misappropriates credit for NGO accomplishments, while the NGO's replacement of government services with their own services perpetuates government inefficiencies. Resources and funding are in no short supply in the GO-NGO partnership. But NGOs may face a number of issues if money are not distributed on schedule. The partnership effort is frequently constrained by the cooptation and bureaucratic nature of the parties.

Reference

Bava, N (1997), Non-government Organisations in Development: Theory and Practice, Kanishka Publications, New Delhi
Daimari, P (2008), Economic Development of Assam: Problems and Prospects, EBH Publishers, Guwahati
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Duggal, R (1988), ‘NGOs, Government and Private Sector in Health’, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol- 26, March, pp-633-636
Dutta, S & Nath, A (2013),Partnership in Rural Development: Go-NGO Partnership , New Delhi Publishers, New Delhi
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