‘Need to attract second-generation NRIs to philanthropy’

NEW DELHI - There is need to attract second generation non-resident Indians to philanthropy and the money given for the noble task should be leveraged by other sources, panellists said at a seminar here Saturday held during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

Participating in the seminar “Philanthropy: Diaspora Initiative”, panellists said that performance indicators should be used in money given for philanthropy.

Sanjay Sinho, president, American-Indian Foundation, said that while charity was “gift of heart”, philanthropy was “gift of head” and should be able to make sustainable change in the minds of people.

Sinho said that the foundation, which had been set up in the wake of Gujarat earthquake of 2001 for people-to-people cooperation between the two countries, had invested $65 million in philanthropic activities in India.

“We have tried to create a system where every dollar of philanthropy is leveraged by other sources,” he said, adding that the foundation has a well laid out performance measuring systems.

Lord Rajendra Loomba of Loomba Foundation said that his organisation was working to help provide education to children of widows in the country. He said that the foundation was set up in the memory of his mother who spent all her resources on education of her children after his father passed away.

Mohammad Ali, vice-chairman of Galfar Engineering and Contracting, Oman, said that he was boosting development with the goal of “house for all and health for all” in a village in Kerala through a trust. He said the trust was providing job oriented training to people.

Sudhir Parikh, who is a Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee, said there was need to attract second generation non-resident Indians to philanthropy and provide them easy access to the country, its people and non-governmental organisations.

He said that the second generation of NRIs had been raised in well-to-do societies and wanted to help India and the NGOs should involve them.

Students from Sri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi gave a presentation about the work they were doing to make rickshaw pullers self-dependent and innovations that had been made to rickshaws to add to the income of the owners.

Panellists laid thrust on the transparency in the working of NGOs so that the benefits of philanthropic work reach the needy.