In the context of Indian history, the role of civil society was prominent that helped India to attain its Independence. The term civil society broadly refers to a wide array of organisations, encompassing all the associations that exist outside the state and the market which includes organisations like community groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), labour unions, indigenous groups etc.

In the mediaeval context, the presence of voluntary organisations with a major focus on cultural promotion, natural disaster relief, education, and health were the key aspects. Civil societies played an important role during British rule and improved the social status of the lower strata of the society and devised various social welfare approaches.

Working of the Civil Society Before Independence

Moved by the humanitarian and egalitarian impulses of the 19th century, the social reformers of India started powerful movements to improve the societal norms by instituting various civil society organisations. Notable among them are Brahmo Samaj led by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, struggle for widow remarriage by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Jyotiba Phule’s effort for female education. 

Some of the Important Civil organisations are as follows:

1. Brahma Samaj: It was started by Ram Mohan Roy in 1829.  The significant success in the field of social reform was the abolition of Sati in1829. Debendranath Tagore and Keshab Chandra Sen were the prominent leaders of the Brahma Samajh
2. Arya Samajh: Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj on April 7, 187 that led a prolonged movement against untouchability and advocated the dilution of caste distinctions. They worked for the protection of widows and other social work like providing relief to victims of natural or manmade calamities.
3. Theosophical Society: In 1875, it was founded by Madame Blavatsky and Col. Olcott in 1875. The ideologies of the society reflect Indian culture and, in Madras’s presidency, the society proliferated its aims and vision to the masses. The movement had received widespread recognition under the leadership of Annie Besant in India. The headquarter of the theosophical society was at Adyar.
4. Aligarh Movement: It was a fundamental development pointed toward transforming the social, political and instructive parts of the Muslim people group. In 1864, Sir Syed Ahmad khan set up the Scientific Society in Aligarh to make an interpretation of western works into Indian tongues to set up the Muslims to recognize Western preparation and to show intelligent character among the Muslims.

The success of the Civil Society in improving the women’s condition: 

• Awareness: Reformers took recourse to propagate in the Indian language to reach the masses and raise awareness about the plights of women. They also used novels, dramas, short stories, poetry, press etc.  There was an improved level of communication among women which made them aware of the different problems that they faced and their legal and human rights
• Progressive Legislation: These movements helped in repealing laws derogatory to women and passage of progressive legislation. For example, abolition of sati (1829), abolition of female infanticide, passage of Widows’ Remarriage Act (1856), increase in marriageable age of girls to 10 years, law sanctioning inter-caste and inter-communal marriages (1872), law discouraging child marriage (1891) etc
• Women Education: Efforts of Brahmo Samaj, Ishwar Chandra Vidhyasagar and Jyotiba Phule helped in improving women’s education at large. For eg. The establishment of women’s educational institutions like Bethune college

Civil Society on Labour Reform

The growth of the labour reform movement can be traced through the rise of civil societies in India before independence. Towards the end of the nineteenth century marked the evolution of the trade union movement that closely follows the development of industry in India. The first organised labour union in India was the Bombay Mill Hands Association, established by M.N Lokhande in 1890. Some of the important trade union organisations are as follows:

History of AITUC: It is the oldest trade union federation in India was set up in 1920. This organisation was founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, Diwan Chaman, Lall Joseph Baptista and N.M Joshi. Lajpat Rai was elected the first president of AITUC.

• The formation of organisations like the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and the All India Red Trade Union Congress (AIRTUC) were done under the aegis of AITUC
• INTUC was formed in May 1947 under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, marking the proliferation of unions
• The AITUC has come to be dominated by the Communists in the later phase. Under the banner of the Praja Socialist Party, Hind Mazdoor Sabha was formed in 1948 and, in the later phase, this organisation came under the influence of Socialists

Journey of Civil Society Evolution before and after Independence:

Swadeshi Movement: It was officially proclaimed on August 7, 1905, on the eve of the partition of Bengal. This movement is now known as the  ‘Make in India’ campaign. Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of ‘Swadeshi’ shifted the focus of development activities to economic self-sufficiency. He started the KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries) movement in order to make villagers self-reliant and make them dependent on local resources as a substitute for foreign resources.

Bhoodan Movement: It was a voluntary land reform movement, also known as the Bloodless Revolution in Indian history, started by Vinoba Bhave in the year 1951. It had collected over 4 million acres of land for redistribution to the landless without any compensation by the end of 1969.

The Central Social Welfare Board: In order to carry out social welfare activities, the Central Social Welfare Board was established in 1953 that was the first initiative taken by the GOI to set up the organisation based on the principle of a non-governmental organisation. 

Panchayati Raj Institution: In the rural areas, the three-tier Panchayati Raj system was introduced in 1958 that led to financial decentralisation. Many civil societies, unions and agricultural cooperatives were formed.

Microfinance Institution: Around the concepts of SHGs, in the 1980s microfinance institutions went on evolution that on a need basis have met the financial needs of the underserved societies.

Formation of NABARD: In July 1982, the govt. of India set up NABARD as a Development Bank intending to promote agricultural activities, small-scale industries, and other development work by facilitating credit flow and other facilities in the villages.

Self Help Groups: It represents a large group of informal associations which play an important role in poverty mitigation in rural parts of India. This approach benefits the group by enabling collective decisions and implementation of the program for a common cause.

Government Initiatives in Promoting Civil Society:

• Right to Information: RTI Act of 2005 aimed at empowering citizens by promoting transparency in government activities and keeping them informed about the working of the government
• Right to Education: The Right to Education Act (RTE) aims to provide free education for all children between 6-14 years of age group
• Right to Food: The Right to Food  Act aims to provide food and nutritional security to the people at subsidised rates
• MGNREGA: Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act 2005 aims to enhance the livelihood of the villagers through guaranteed 100 days of wage employment to every adult member in the rural part of India
• CSR Responsibilities: CSR Act of 2013 mandates the contribution of 2% of the company’s net profit towards social development every year

Conclusion 

Despite the various possible challenges, civil societies have been playing a significant role to shape countries’ social needs, but socio-reform through various legislation nurtured the roots of improving the status of people. In the case of good governance, it can have a positive influence on the state and sometimes a leading role in activating citizen participation in socio-economic development and politics and in shaping or influencing policy.