Nov 20 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
India has world's largest number of voluntary givers
Mumbai:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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Over 18Cr Indians Support NGOs By Giving Time, Resources
If “achhe din“ can be measured in terms of giving, India tops the charts when it comes to the largest number of volunteers anywhere in the world. Nearly 18.65 crore people in India support non-profit organizations (more popularly known as non-government organizations or NGOs) by volunteering their time and effort. In stark contrast, China, with only 6.8 crore volunteers, achieved a fourth place on this list.Compared with the previous findings relating to 2012, the number of Indians volunteering time has shot up by three percentage points as 29 million more people contributed their time during 2013.These findings were released by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), an international nonprofit that compiles the World Giving Index annually .
India has climbed 24 places in its overall ranking of 69 out of the 135 countries that participated in the World Giving Index 2014 survey . This index looks at three measures of giving during 2013: The number of people who have given money to charity , volunteered their time or helped a stranger. In the previous year's survey , India's overall rank was 93. When it comes to the sheer number of participants in these acts of giving, India's booming population of over a 100 crore has shown that it has a large heart.
Nearly 40.9 crore Chinese went out of their way to help a stranger and China led the pack when it came to the largest number of people helping others. India, with 34.6 crore people doing so, came second.The percentage of people helping a stranger in India has increased by 10 percentage points, meaning 9.3 crore more Indians performed an act of kindness in 2013.
In fact, India, which was once noted for engaging in acts of non-institutional charity (especially at religious places or events) has increasingly begun to donate to NGOs. Despite having smaller adult populations than China, both India and the United States have more individuals donating money to charity .A total of 24.9 crore Indians donated to NGOs, followed by the US at 17.5 crore people and China at 14.8 crore.
While the proportion of people donating money in India has remained unchanged from the previous year (28%), population increase means that over four million more Indians are estimated to have donated money in 2013 than in 2012, says CAF India.
Meenakshi Batra, chief executive, CAF India, says: “The World Giving Index 2014 report shows an unprecedented growth in Indian generosity in recent years. With charities making more use of technology , people seem to be responding more quickly to appeals for help and natural disasters around the country .Let's hope this momentum continues.“
India has climbed 24 places in its overall ranking of 69 out of the 135 countries that participated in the World Giving Index 2014 survey . This index looks at three measures of giving during 2013: The number of people who have given money to charity , volunteered their time or helped a stranger. In the previous year's survey , India's overall rank was 93. When it comes to the sheer number of participants in these acts of giving, India's booming population of over a 100 crore has shown that it has a large heart.
Nearly 40.9 crore Chinese went out of their way to help a stranger and China led the pack when it came to the largest number of people helping others. India, with 34.6 crore people doing so, came second.The percentage of people helping a stranger in India has increased by 10 percentage points, meaning 9.3 crore more Indians performed an act of kindness in 2013.
In fact, India, which was once noted for engaging in acts of non-institutional charity (especially at religious places or events) has increasingly begun to donate to NGOs. Despite having smaller adult populations than China, both India and the United States have more individuals donating money to charity .A total of 24.9 crore Indians donated to NGOs, followed by the US at 17.5 crore people and China at 14.8 crore.
While the proportion of people donating money in India has remained unchanged from the previous year (28%), population increase means that over four million more Indians are estimated to have donated money in 2013 than in 2012, says CAF India.
Meenakshi Batra, chief executive, CAF India, says: “The World Giving Index 2014 report shows an unprecedented growth in Indian generosity in recent years. With charities making more use of technology , people seem to be responding more quickly to appeals for help and natural disasters around the country .Let's hope this momentum continues.“
