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PUBLIC LIFE AND VOLUNTRY SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
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INTRODUCTION
THE VOLUNTARY SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANISATIONS play a major role in the development of community life and also help to strengthen the social solidarity of the State. These organisations are run by the people and for the people. The voluntary social service is an activity of self governing body of people working together for the betterment of the society and community life as a whole.
In the past. the State and the individual stood far apart, the State performing the job of a legal functionary, leaving the individual to seek his own moral and intellectual development. With the change in the socio-political concepts, the relationship between the State and the individual also underwent a radical change. The State no longer remained an idle spectator of the active human member of the political organisation but started taking an increasing interest in his multifarious activities. Individual became the centre of the new renaissance and resurgence that was visible in the policies of the State. However, in spite of its vastness, the State could not tackle every aspect of the life of its citizens. There was uniformity in the actions of the State towards its citizens but uniformity is palatable up to a certain degree only. Individual behaviour based on subjective instincts is outside the scope of the State activity. It is here that social institutions replace the State. Eventhough, morally and legally they are subordinate to the State, they play a superior role to that of the State because they offer diversity to the individual amidst uniformity.
In a welfare state the Government has to perform manifold functions and hence it is difficult to look into every matter of an individual. It is also difficult for the State to look into every nook and corner of the society. It is, therefore, essential to have social organisations of the people with common interest. The activities of the State involve some element of compulsion, whereas in the case of voluntary institutions they are voluntary in nature and offer easy scope for an individual to develop. These institutions work hand in hand with the Government and their nature is complementary. They have proved very helpful
and co-operative and not competitive with the state in the field. The voluntary social organisations arc getting wider scope in these days of busy life. Where Governmental machinery falls short of looking into problems of an individual, the voluntary social organisations play their role in co-operation with the State.
As the voluntary social organisations are formed by the people they can grasp the needs of the people in the area and offer proper solutions to their problems. Such institutions can afford to make experiments. The voluntary actions involved on the part of individuals are always flexible and progressive and that is one of the reasons for the pioneering work done by the organisations in Sangli district.
In Sangli district there are many organisations working in
various fields such as, education, health, recreation, etc.
The voluntary social service organisations, though helped by the Government, complain of inadequate finances. Many times they have to rely upon their own funds and donations collected from the public.
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