Description and analysis of the legal and regulatory frameworks governing philanthropy and the non-profit sector in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are provided in Philanthropy and Law in South Asia (PALISA), a research publication issued by the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium (APPC). The India chapter of PALISA was coauthored by Noshir Dadrawala, editor of Philanthropy, the newsletter of the Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy and chartered accountant Sanjay Agarwal of the Delhi based Account Aid India. Each country chapter includes recommendations by the authors to promote further development of philanthropy and the non-profit sector, notes a press release.
This publication is the result of a comparative research project of APPC, funding for which was received from The Ford Foundation, The Himalaya Foundation, The Myer Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation and The Asia Foundation. APPC is an informal network of grant making philanthropic organizations in the Asia region with 15 governing council members from Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hongkong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, and India which is represented by Dadrawala and Priya Viswanath.
At the launch of Philanthropy and Law in South Asia, Rony Tolentino (left) with Dadrawala
The publication, available in both book and compact disc version was launched at Bombay’s West End Hotel on January 24, 2005 in the presence of eminent financial advisors, lawyers, chartered accountants and chief financial officers of leading philanthropic organizations. Highlighting some of the regional findings of the PALISA project Dadrawala was hopeful that the comprehensive anthology of laws would stimulate dialog among specialists on reforms. This was followed by Dadrawala’s presentation on laws governing voluntary organizations in India covering the Bombay Public Trusts Act, Income Tax Act, Foreign Contributions Regulation Act and other allied laws.