4th South India NGOs Conference, Bangalore
The CIGMA Foundation and Lead Trust organized the 4th South India NGOs Conference (14-15th March 2015) here at The Canopy Hotel, Bangalore with the theme, ‘Government Schemes & Role of NGOs in Civil Service Coaching, Health Care Benefits for the Poor, Skill Development & Career Guidance.’
315 delegates representing NGOs from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh & Gujarat participated in the two-day conference which had eminent social workers, personalities and change makers from New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai & Bangalore sharing their best practices and experiences.
Delivering the keynote address of the conference, Mr. Syed Mohammed Beary, Chairman, Bearys Group of Institutions expressed his happiness that a lot of constructive work is happening within the Muslim Community and the future of coming generations is very bright. He told that if the community’s young minds are given the right guidance at the right time, they can occupy top positions and render social service to the community. He called upon Muslim NGOs and educational institutions to encourage students to take up competitive exams such as UPSC which is the dire need of the community. He also urged NGOs to work for getting better health care for the poor and needy.
Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood, Former IRS Officer and President, Zakat Foundation of India, made a 45-minute presentation on Civil Services Coaching and the Role of NGOs. He presented several facts of Muslim representation in politics and government jobs and the huge disparity in the population of Muslims and their percentage in Civil Services. He called upon the NGOs to prepare the youngsters of the community for the UPSC exams. He emphasized that competitive exams must be taken up seriously and we must prepare the students from the ninth standard onwards. Only then will they be able to crack the civil service exams in a big way.
Moulana Shamsudeen Salih Qasimi, Khateeb, Makkah Masjid & Founder of A. K. IAS Academy, Chennai, inspired the audience by narrating the story of how he along with community service oriented IAS officers took upon themselves to start an IAS Coaching centre at Makkah Masjid in Chennai. He said that a civil servant can serve the community for 35 years while a politician can serve only for a limited time and there is no guarantee of position and power. He explained how he and his team travelled across Tamilnadu and conducted more than 70 Civil Service Awareness camps addressing parents and students. This led to 1000 candidates taking up their entrance test and finally 40 students were selected for the FREE Coaching at their A. K. IAS Academy in Makkah Masjid. They tasted success in the very first year when one of their candidates clearing the UPSC exams in 2014. In the current batch, 37 boys and 13 girls are benefitting from the coaching at the A. K. IAS Academy.
Mr. Akram Pasha, Director, Directorate of Minorities, Government of Karnataka, spoke on the scholarships offered by the Directorate of Minorities. Until last year, the Annual Budget for Coaching for Competitive Exams Scheme was Rs. 1 Crore and for the coming financial year (2015-16), the government has enhanced it to Rs. 5 Crore. For this amount to be fully utilized, he called upon the NGOs to promote the scheme among the community students and encourage more number of students to take up preparations for Competitive Exams and Civil Service Coaching. He also highlighted the fact that recently the Karnataka Public Service Commission recruited 180 Assistant Commissioners and 200 Tahsildars; out of these, only seven Assistant Commissioners & ten Tahsildars are Muslims. NGOs must pay attention to this and encourage students from young age to take up Government service.
Senior Journalist, Maqbool Ahmed Siraj, said that there is a dire need for Muslim students to study Journalism and Mass media. He said that there is over-emphasis on medical and engineering. If the same interest is shown in journalism and mass media, we can reach great heights. He also put across hard facts of how the community does not own even one international brand which is accepted worldwide.
Mr. Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Managing Editor, The Siasat Daily, Hyderabad, spoke on Skill Development programs and social change. He said that the Muslim world must focus on research and development which can take us a long way on the path to success. This is also the need of the hour. He called upon NGOs to pay special attention to Skill Development schemes by Government of India and to set up Vocational Training Centers.
Dr. Taha Mateen addressed the delegates on the Values of an NGO. He called upon the NGOs to identify themselves with the values of honesty, sincerity, commitment and to work for humanity. He also described the qualities of a social worker and what it means to be a social worker. Sharing his vast experience as a social worker and doctor over the last 30 years, he called upon NGOs to uphold human values and work with a transparent agenda.
Mr. Ameen-e-Mudassar, CEO of CIGMA Foundation, presented the various government schemes available for NGOs and also explained how NGOs have to prepare themselves to get government grants. He called upon the NGOs to keep their documents correct as per the guidelines and also engage government officials all along the year by inviting them for programs.
Other Speakers in the conference included Mr. Abdul Qadeer, Founder & Secretary of Shaheen Group of Institutions, Bidar; Mr. S. A. Kabeer, Chairman, Alpine Group of Institutions, Mr. Misbahuddin, Executive Director, MS Academy, Hyderabad; Mrs. Ayesha Wajid, Chairman, Meher Foundation; Mr. Balaji A Sarma, Vice President, Labour Net Private Services Ltd, Bangalore; Dr. Ali Khwaja, Chairman, Banjara Academy; Dr. Benazeer Baig, Founder, Raza Educational Trust; Mr. Ramesh Swamy, Trustee, Unnati Vocational Training Centre, Bangalore; Mr. Syed Habeeb Pasha, Chief Coach, Lifebridge Finishing School; Mr. A. S. Khan, President, Muslim Industrialists Association; Mr. Shoaib Ahmed, Digital Marketing Expert, CIGMA INDIA; Mr. Arham Faraaz, Secretary, Lead Trust.
During the two-day conference, representatives of different NGOs presented the success stories of their work and also shared their views, thoughts and experiences. The conference ended with all delegates and NGOs motivated for doing more social work and carrying forward the work to greater heights.
The 4th South India NGOs Conference was organized by CIGMA Foundation and LEAD Trust with the Sponsorship of Bearys Group of Institutions, Shaheen Group of Institutions, Alpine Group of Institutions, Feroze’s Estates & Properties, MS Academy, Muslim Industrialists Association, Meher Care Foundatin, Karnataka Zakat & Charitable Trust and Life Bridge Finishing School. The Media Partners for the conference were: The Daily Salar, Bangalore; Madhyamam Daily, Kerala; The Siasat Daily, Hyderabad and The Milli Gazette, New Delhi.
The South India NGOs Conference’s SINC 2015 Souvenir and DVD, with details of over 500 Government Schemes – Central & State, Best practices for NGOs, Documents and Presentations for development of NGOs, Motivational Videos, were released and given to each Participant.
NGOs interested to buy the Souvenir and DVD can call CIGMA Foundation at 080-41554225/ 8050067687 or visit www.cigmafoundation.org to buy online.
Warm Regards,
Ameen-e-Mudassar,
BE, CGC, Member – IAEVG (Canada)
CEO, CIGMA India
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