Sirsa village bans fundraisers from outside to prevent fraud, crime
In a united decision, the village of Fatehpuria Niamatkhan in Sirsa’s Baragudha block has decided to completely ban outsiders from entering the village to ask for donations. The decision was taken collectively by the village panchayat and residents during a meeting led by Sarpanch Sunita Rani on Friday.
The villagers agreed that no outsiders, including those claiming to represent religious groups, NGOs, orphanages, cow shelters, or “roti banks” will be allowed to collect money, grains, or any form of donation from the village. The meeting was attended by many villagers, including Ranjit Singh, Mahender Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Rajbir, Suresh Kumar, and others.
According to Sunita Rani, during the crop season, many fraudsters visit rural areas pretending to be in need. They use emotional tactics, claiming to collect funds for temples, gurdwaras, orphanages, or religious events such as jagratas. If they are not given money, they ask for grains instead.
The villagers also pointed out that many NGOs claiming to do social work actually hire people to go door to door and collect money.
These workers are paid Rs 500 to Rs 700 per day and are given a fixed commission per receipt they collect. Both men and women are part of this practice and they are often not truly connected to any charitable cause.
Local residents Rohtash and Sahab Ram shared their concerns that some of these so called fundraisers were involved in suspicious activities.
They use this as a cover to observe homes and later carry out thefts when houses are empty.
In many past crimes, it was found that such people had done a “reccee” before committing the crime.
By banning these outsiders, the village aims at reducing the risk of fraud and crime.
The residents who genuinely want to help can directly visit the nearby temples, gurdwaras, or shelters and offer their support.
