The decline or retreat of the state as well as the triumph of the market today is accompanied by increasing attention to Civil Society Organizations. There is a newfound expectation that NGOs or the ‘third’ sector is better placed as compared to the other stakeholders to provide leadership for social reconstruction in the developing world in particular. This article seeks to critically review the role of the NGO sector in India using empirical evidences collected from secondary sources. It argues that NGOs are not an alternative to the state and the public sector. NGO-ization is also neither a means to correct market failures. In spite of the relevance of this sector, we need to look for other viable alternatives.
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