NGOs in Punjab
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਏਨਜੀਓ
Punjab is land of lively, adventurous, courageous freedom fighters, gurus, famous singers, writers, poets and players. Punjab is having its special place in history of War of Independence. Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab. Punjabi culture is renowned for its great folk music, variety of folk dances, poetry and traditional dresses. At the time partition of India, Punjab was also divided into two: one is in India and the other Punjab of Pakistan. Before the partition Punjab was the land of five rivers, but now Satluj, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Beas are the rivers of Punjab. After independence Punjab was further divided and two new states were formed i.e. Himachal Pradesh and Haryana and remaining is the current Punjab. The largest portion of the land of Punjab is agricultural land.
Punjab is famous for various pilgrimage places of Sikhs as well of Hindus. Golden Temple in Amritsar, Shri Anandpur sahib, Shri Chamkaur Sahib, Gurudwara Ramsar Amritsar, Khadur Sahib are the famous Sikh pilgrimages. Golden Temple, other name is Harmander Sahib is famous for its historical importance in Sikh religion. Golden temple is the place where Sikh Panth was established by the tenth Sikh guru Shri Guru Gobind Singh ji on the day of BAISAKHI festival.
Jalliawala Bagh is another historical place in Punjab, that bagh has great importance in Indian history. Jalliawala Bagh is the place where in a public gathering for the celebration of Basakhi festival, 13 April 1919 a mass capital punishment was given to the innocent people of Punjab by the cruel British government. A countless number of adults, children, and elderly were being executed on that day. Punjab is the native land of number of revolutionaries, who played an important role in the country’s fight for independence. Baba Gurdit Singh, Baba Zawala Singh, Baba Gurmukh Singh and the young revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Udham Singh and uncountable number of freedom fighter of India were from Punjab.
Major issues in Punjab
Homelessness is the major problem in the big cities as well as small towns and villages and NGOs also need to work further for their shelter and especially for mentally and physically challenged persons in small villages of Punjab.
There is need to work for the rag pickers, homeless orphan children and also to work for the children who are working as street- hawkers and as baggers to manage two times meals for themselves and their family members.
Today the future of India needs shelter, food and education and the non-profit organisation have needed to work for them with dedication and determination.
Punjab NGOs
Socio-Economic status of Punjab
Punjab is financially based on farming. Farming is the main occupation of the Punjabis. Wheat and rice are the major crops and rice is the commercial crop of Punjab. Punjab is a major wheat producing state of northwest of the India. The other crops are cotton, oil seeds, sugar cane, pulses, bajra and maize. Punjab agricultural university Ludhiana has developed various agricultural techniques, hybrid seeds to increase productivity and the researchers of the university played a most important role in the advancement of the agricultural methods as well as increased production of milk in Punjab.
Punjab is the centre of various types industries such as processing food grains, cotton ginning, brick kilns, agriculture related industry, textile, hosiery and garments industry, rubber and plastic products, etc. Many of the districts of Punjab are famous for their industrial setups in particular fields, as Mandi Gobindgarh is famous for steel mill plants. Ludhiana the Manchester of India is well known for the industries of production of bicycle and hosiery material, Ludhiana and surrounding areas of it emerged as a natural cluster for the bicycle industry with medium, small and tiny units. Sports material and auto-part accessories manufacturing is a well developed industry in Jalandhar district of Punjab.
The socio- economic conditions of Punjab reflects heterogenic variations in the status of different strata’s of population. In Punjab there are total 22 districts and 12673 villages. Moving from the industrial centre (well developed districts) to the agricultural core (villages and developing districts and small towns) standards of living varies from perfect to worst. The upper stratum of population is spending the life happily and enjoying all the latest facilities in cities, small towns and even in villages. But on the other hand the lower stratum population is spending the life in dreadful conditions, whether they are slum residents of big cities or the poor people of the villages. In the cities the occupation is jobs at private centres, companies and self employment i.e. large, small and very small industries. The life is full of hurry and in villages life is very slow and stagnated. The main occupation is farming in fields of others, daily based labour, brick kilning etc.
Conditions of the poor-peasants, dalits, scheduled caste and people of other lower socio-economic status are very pathetic. In their daily routine life they are being oppressed and exploited by the capitalists. The male to female birth ratio is still so much biased in favour males in Punjab. In addition to child sex ratio at birth, the distortion in ratio comes from excessive female child mortality and preference of male child. Social status of the women is very pathetic especially in villages of Punjab. Early-age child bearing, infant and childhood mortality coupled with female disadvantage, sex-selection during conception, practice of female foeticide, extensive son-preference are the major social evils responsible for pitiable condition of the women in society. Scheduled caste population, migrant groups, landless households, slum dwellers, etc. are spending their lives in fatal conditions. The rural population of Punjab both males and females are prone to acute illnesses and the duration of illness of communicable diseases is very high because of poor treatment facilities as compare to the urban areas of the state. The females from scheduled castes and dalit groups are not safe in their own community. Drug-addiction, early marriages, child labour, dowry system and deaths due to dowry, suicides by the poor farmers and the poor-peasants, female foeticide, female infanticide, child and female trafficking and are the social aliments in Punjab.
The people of rural Punjab are still fighting for the basic facilities for living i.e. clean water, proper sanitation, electricity and shelter. All these problems are the common problems of the slum residents of major cities. Education facilities are very poor in villages. Today in developed Punjab people dies because of lack of primary health centres in rural areas, lack of transportation is the another reason for this. People are not aware about the health schemes. The uneducated rural population of Punjab believes in myths. The poor farmer is not aware about the new methods of the farming and their economic conditions not allow them to invest on advanced farming.
Role of NGOs in Punjab to improve Society and Communities
NGOs working for Social welfare in Punjab
NGOs in Punjab
- Amritsar NGOs
- Barnala NGOs
- Bathinda NGOs
- Faridkot NGOs
- Fatehgarh Sahib NGOs
- Fazilka NGOs
- Ferozepur NGOs
- Gurdaspur NGOs
- Hoshiarpur NGOs
- Jalandhar NGOs
- Kapurthala NGOs
- Ludhiana NGOs
- Mansa NGOs
- Moga NGOs
- Muktsar NGOs
- Nawanshahr (Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar) NGOs
- Pathankot NGOs
- Patiala NGOs
- Rupnagar NGOs
- Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) NGOs
- Sangrur NGOs
- Tarn Taran NGOs