What is meant by Civil Society:
It was termed “third sector”, “social sector” or “volunteer land”, * In general “Civil society is generally defined, as the space, which is outside the realm of family, market, and state”.- Dipankar Gupta defines civil society, as “not a thing but a set of conditions within, which individuals interact collectively with the state.”
- Civil society and the State are not opposite to each other. As Mahajan (1999) argues, both together will ensure social equality and nondiscrimination along with individual liberty.
- Civil society is an autonomous space from society and the State. It is concerned with the common good where collective interests as against particularistic sociocultural and economic interests have primacy. For that, it works and negotiates and, if necessary, confronts the State for the protection of citizens’ rights and justice.
- In a bid to create universal character, its membership has not only to be open for everyone—female and male across caste and creed—but special efforts need to be made in expanding its space for members of marginalized communities participation in the organizations and movements.
Who are all Civil Society?
“The definitions are changing as civil society is recognized as encompassing far more than a mere ‘sector’ dominated by the NGO community:Now civil society today includes an ever wider and more vibrant range of organized and unorganized groups, as new civil-society actors blur the boundaries between sectors and experiment with new organizational forms, both online and off line.
According to the World Bank: “Civil society ... refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations.”
Business Groups –
Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Federation of All India Foodgrain Dealers Association (FAIFDA), etc
Trade Unions –
All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS)
Agrarian Groups-
All India Kisan Sabha, Bharatiya Kisan Union, etc
Student’s Organisations-
Akhila Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), All India Students Federation (AISF), National Students Union of India (NSUI)
Religious Groups –
Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Jamaat-e-Islami, etc.
Caste Groups –
Harijan Sevak Sangh, Nadar Caste Association, etc •
Linguistic Groups –
Tamil Sangh, Andhra Maha Sabha, etc
Tribal Groups –
National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Tribal, National Volunteers (TNU) in Tripura, United Mizo federal org, Tribal League of Assam, etc.
Ideology based Groups –
Narmada Bachao Andolan, Chipko Movement, Women's Rights Organisation, India Against Corruption etc.
Anomic Groups -
Naxalite Groups, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), Dal Khalsa, etc.
