Justifying the move to tighten its monitoring mechanism on Non-Governmental Organisations, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told Sri Lankan editors on Friday that the government had the right, and the responsibility to monitor how NGOs obtained funds and what they were used for.
Responding to the recent debate in the country on NGOs and the role they played in facilitating the country’s development, he said that many millions of rupees come into the country. There is no mechanism to monitor where they come from and how these funds are utilised.
The President referred to the situation in India and said that no other country allowed organisations to bring large amounts of money into the country and spend them on projects of their own without any monitoring by the government.
“Therefore, the government intends to work out a suitable policy to monitor their activities,” Mr. Rajapaksa said. He pointed out that specific guidelines are needed for NGOs to obtain funds through correct methods and spend in a correct manner.
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