NGOs in Gujarat Model: Development as an Interaction

The development model a region adopts creates a certain development environment, which is co- shaped by the pillars of growth (such as government policy and priority industries) and the public perception of and action on development. In such development model, NGOs have been recognized as an important player. For NGOs, the success of development programs occurs in the benign interaction between the development model and the NGOs. This article probes into the development environment created by the development model, the impact of the development environment on NGOs, and NGOs' exploration of adapting to and challenging the development environment. "Gujarat development model" was created when Narendra Modi was the head of Gujarat and later taken national with him elected as Prime Minister of India. This model is renowned for its miracle growth rate, meanwhile suffers from ill repute in human development. I argue that the development environment created by the Gujarat model for NGOs is rich in opportunities but sometimes unwelcome due to authoritarian bureaucracy and ultra-Hindu nationalism. This is due to Gujarat and India's contradictory picture of neoliberal development: on the one hand, neoliberalism has been promoted with a renovated set of initiatives, as demonstrated by NGOs' community-based projects; on the other hand, Gujarat and India government seem not to push the neoliberal reform "too far." NGOs in the Gujarat model, as represented by the Ford Foundation, quickly learn to survive in the policy settings and grasp the opportunities. In terms of the unwelcoming aspects, three kinds of reactions have been observed: exit, accommodation, and challenge.