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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
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In an attempt to save Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's
from identity loss, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is focusing more towards
social welfare. The 62-year-old chief is trying to change RSS image from
a "cultural organisation" to one geared more toward "social work".
The emphasis on social work is unprecedented for the 87-year-old organisation as its activities were always limited to its members. Though RSS says it has units in 55,000 places across the country, the number of active members has gone down from 40 lakh to 35 lakh in the past five years. The attendance in daily shakhas is also drastically shrinking, according to some estimates.
RSS has sanctioned as many as 1,60,000 social welfare projects across the country at a cost of Rs.50 crore. At a Nagpur meeting in March, Bhagwat instructed every RSS unit to undertake some kind of welfare work as he thinks "it is the only way to reach the underprivileged". As a first step towards it, Bhagwat wants the 750-odd NGOs affiliated with RSS to come under one roof and work in tandem.
Till a few years ago, RSS's activities were limited only to daily gatherings, physical training and marches on festivals like Gudhi Padwa and Dussehra. The organisation currently runs hostels, schools and health centres all over the country. RSS faces one of its worst periods currently with a fractured organisational set-up and allegations of the involvement of its cadre in terror activities.
Bhagwat wants the projects to spread to Naxalite-affected areas of the country as well. RSS has launched 20 projects in Maoist-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. "RSS has already made some good contacts in the Naxalite areas. Don't be surprised if we make our presence felt there soon," a senior RSS official told India Today. The organisation will also launch a campaign for the rights of the local population on natural resources from October.
According to member of RSS's national council, Bhagwat has decided to attract the youth. "The youths who have just become voters are neither bothered about the Ram Janmabhoomi movement nor do they remember Atal Bihari Vajpeyee's tenure as prime minister. They want economic reforms but not at the cost of environment. They do not want to leave their traditions but at the same time they want modernisation. They will be our target audience in the future," says the official.
The emphasis on social work is unprecedented for the 87-year-old organisation as its activities were always limited to its members. Though RSS says it has units in 55,000 places across the country, the number of active members has gone down from 40 lakh to 35 lakh in the past five years. The attendance in daily shakhas is also drastically shrinking, according to some estimates.
RSS has sanctioned as many as 1,60,000 social welfare projects across the country at a cost of Rs.50 crore. At a Nagpur meeting in March, Bhagwat instructed every RSS unit to undertake some kind of welfare work as he thinks "it is the only way to reach the underprivileged". As a first step towards it, Bhagwat wants the 750-odd NGOs affiliated with RSS to come under one roof and work in tandem.
Till a few years ago, RSS's activities were limited only to daily gatherings, physical training and marches on festivals like Gudhi Padwa and Dussehra. The organisation currently runs hostels, schools and health centres all over the country. RSS faces one of its worst periods currently with a fractured organisational set-up and allegations of the involvement of its cadre in terror activities.
Bhagwat wants the projects to spread to Naxalite-affected areas of the country as well. RSS has launched 20 projects in Maoist-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. "RSS has already made some good contacts in the Naxalite areas. Don't be surprised if we make our presence felt there soon," a senior RSS official told India Today. The organisation will also launch a campaign for the rights of the local population on natural resources from October.
According to member of RSS's national council, Bhagwat has decided to attract the youth. "The youths who have just become voters are neither bothered about the Ram Janmabhoomi movement nor do they remember Atal Bihari Vajpeyee's tenure as prime minister. They want economic reforms but not at the cost of environment. They do not want to leave their traditions but at the same time they want modernisation. They will be our target audience in the future," says the official.
Source : India Today
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