I’ve never been a Public Servant before. I’ve always thought of myself as a Social Worker. Or maybe a CEO, since the organization I helped found and now run employs over 120 people and provides services to over 300 children every day. Sometimes I claim to be an organizer, since I work to create better health care and education systems for those children – all of whom have disabilities.  But never, it must be said, a Public Servant.

The Lokpal Bill has changed all that.

Now, in addition to the long hours, low pay and vague distrust anyone working in an NGO invites, I’ve got a new title (Public Servant!) and a whole new list of responsibilities.

The Lokpal Bill, in a clever and strategic move to curb corruption among so-called social workers (like me), now requires that the Board of any NGO receiving more than one crore from the government or more than ten lakhs from foreign sources be considered Public Servants. Like IAS officers and elected officials, we will now have to declare our assets (property owned, moveable assets like jewelry, electronics, cars, paintings; investments like insurance policies, mutual funds, stocks and bonds) and those of our spouses and dependent children.

But not just the Board! No, Senior Staff (defined as anyone in the organization empowered to make independent financial decisions) also come under its ambit, and this is great – because just as people are getting used to the idea of managing a shoestring budget and learning how to make ends meet when they just don’t, it’s awesome to toss them under whatever political bus is hurtling down the highway. By all means, make them declare all their assets, and those of their spouses, on a public website which any loony-bin can access because that’s certain to make them feel confident about the career choices they’ve taken.

Let me just say: I am all for transparency. I believe whole-heartedly in the Sunshine Policy which says if you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t have anything to worry about. And I don’t. You are welcome to come into my house and tally up the amount I spend on my severely disabled daughter’s care (over half my salary, if you really want to know). You are free to come and ride around in my 1999 Santro and see for yourself what a great car it is. You may, if it pleases you, paw through my jewelry box in which the only thing of any worth at all is a single gold chain, the 4th my mother-in-law has given me because I am so careless with such items and the other three have disappeared.

If I feel a bit humiliated by the experience, that’s my problem, right?

But the thing is, the Government of India has plenty of other laws already in place to monitor the work and the financial dealings of NGOs. The Foreign Currency Regulation Act, just for starters. FCRA rules are stringent and supposedly water-tight.  The requirement that NGOs submit audited accounts for all contributions, however small. The detailed financial statements required for any government grant.

May I humbly suggest that the concerned authorities actually look at all the reports we submit to them? In my experience, these reports are routinely ignored, misfiled and mislaid – we receive multiple requests for duplicate copies of reports we have already submitted. The officers in charge have no real interest in what we are doing unless some senior officer asks a question they can’t answer. Then the demands for extra copies flood in. And they need them NOW.

There is no need for this Lokpal Bill. It exists only to harass NGOs which are doing good work. Those of us who are honest, committed and genuine will comply with its requirements. Those who are hiding assets or laundering funds will continue to do so. The Government of India has ample resources, systems and requirements already in place to regulate the flow of funds to NGOs. It has simply to use them properly.

Of course, this requires diligence, oversight and something called integrity. If one or all of those are missing, the best option is to point the finger at someone else. There is simply no getting away from the fact that NGOs are doing the work the government refuses or is incompetent to do. The bad eggs could be shut down in a heartbeat if anyone chose to put their minds to it, using existing laws.

I have devoted the past twenty-two years to creating a better world for children with disabilities. If I am now to be called a Public Servant and my private life is to be made available to anyone who cares to access a website, can I at least get a pension?