PUBLIC LIFE AND VOLUNTARY SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS

INTRODUCTION.

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE 20TH CENTURY gave birth to numerous social service organizations, co-existing with government sponsored institutions for the uplift and benefit of various sections of the society. The forces governed by western education accelerated their growth. With the advance of time, developments in the field of education and those leading to democratic ways of life, social life became more complex, and inter-dependence of the individuals within the changed social Structure increased very considerably. With social and economic planning to the fore, modern States have entered into those fields in human life, which were in the past the privilege of the individuals to look after. In the meantime the might of the Stale increased immensely not only in resources but also in man power and technicques. But however mighty the resources and man power of the State may be it is not always capable of undertaking the onerous task of the development of the human personality and the multifarious aspects of human life. Even the totalitarian States have fallen short of catering to these social and individual aspects. The moral and philosophical objectives as well as the aesthetic aspects of life lie much beyond the sweep of the totalitarian State. The democratic pattern of the State which has a grounding on the ideology of a welfare State cannot meet the demands of the individual. Hence a group of individuals have to come together and strive to make the necessary arrangements under which they can obtain educational, philosophical, moral, and aesthetic proficiency. Thus, it is only through these voluntary organizations of individuals that the accomplishments in various fields of human and social life can be attained. These organizations are not to compete with or supplant the State activities, but have to be complementary and supplementary to it. Naturally the voluntary institutions have to abide by government policies and to evolve self-discipline to serve the greater purpose. In fact they must subserve the objectives of a welfare State.

There is a fairly good number of voluntary social service organizations in Yeotmal district. A number of societies are running arts, science and commerce colleges, high schools, libraries and other social institutions. Moreover, there are certain types of societies which are working mainly for the upliftment of the adivasi and the poor and the needy. Many of the societies are found to be located at Yeotmal proper. Next to Yeotmal, Pusad, Wani, Pandharkaoda are well served by voluntary organizations. The rural areas are still found to suffer from the lack of initiative to new organizations. Many of the organizations even in urban areas fail to raise adequate funds to function properly. They look to the State for increased assistance.

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