The second session, on the theme “Building Legally Sound NGOs: Compliance, Governance and Transparency,” was chaired by Adv. Sarvar Raza, Managing Partner at Legislegal, New Delhi, and featured distinguished speakers including CA Gulzar Karishma Malik of GK Malik & Associates, Dr. Sakhi John, Academician and Public Health Professional, and Mr. Noufal P.K., CEO of the Human Welfare Foundation, New Delhi.
Opening the session, Adv. Raza emphasized the growing importance of compliance and good governance in ensuring accountability within NGOs and welcomed the panellists.
CA Gulzar Karishma Malik, in her remarks, underlined the centrality of compliance and financial discipline in NGO functioning. She stressed that leaders must be financially literate and ensure transparent record-keeping. She highlighted key principles such as maintaining separate books of accounts when linked with businesses, keeping records for at least a decade, and being vigilant about donor transparency. She further identified the five pillars of good governance — Teamwork, Technology, Timeliness, Transparency, and Transformation — encouraging NGOs to view accountability as a mark of pride rather than a burden.
Adv. Sarvar Raza elaborated on the legal side of compliance, stating that adherence to law not only safeguards NGOs from penalties but also strengthens their credibility and growth potential. He urged NGOs to allocate seed funding toward compliance mechanisms, remarking that “NGO laws shouldn’t be taken as a headache.”
Dr. Sakhi John brought in a social perspective, drawing from real-life experiences of women facing poverty, exclusion, and discrimination. He explained the “leaking pipeline” phenomenon that pushes women out of the workforce, and cited innovative solutions such as Karnataka’s Koosina Mane childcare scheme, Kerala’s ASHA workers, and the Kudumbashree movement. He also stressed the need for “patient capital” to support women entrepreneurs and grassroots initiatives. In his closing remarks, he encouraged women to step into public spaces and claim leadership roles in social transformation.
Mr. Noufal P.K. provided a practitioner’s perspective, drawing from his work with the Human Welfare Foundation. He highlighted that the sustainability of NGOs lies not only in compliance but also in collaboration and coalition-building. He stressed the need for stronger networks where organizations can share expertise, pool resources, and jointly advocate for policy change. Mr. Noufal underscored that transparency and governance should be seen as enablers of trust among stakeholders — donors, beneficiaries, and government bodies alike.