SHILLONG:
Union Minister for Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar inaugurated a Chintan Shivir in the city, on Thursday aiming to hold discussions on how people together as a society can follow the path of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas.
Nasha Mukt Bharat, Kaushal Vikas Yojana for youth, senior citizens’ welfare, and well-being of the scheduled castes and tribes of the society are some of the subjects that will be discussed during the programme.
Addressing the programme, Kumar said, “Every individual has a room in their house that allows feeling peaceful and relaxed, no matter how tensed s/he is. People can think with clarity, and come up with solutions that will help in moving ahead in life while in that room. This Chintan Shivir is a similar space, through which we will try to reach out to the very last person sitting in the last row of the society. Taking inspiration from Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, we will discuss ways of further welfare and progress of the society.”
Furthermore, the minister equated the peaceful room of an individual’s house to the bliss that the state offers to every tourist on their arrival, adding, “The land of Meghalaya with its natural bounty attracts many tourists. The bliss we feel at the moment we reach this state feels like we have come to the most beautiful room of our home.”
“The idea of the Chintan Shivir is to extend our efforts taken in other states to our Northeastern states and union territories. The aim is to inspire to work towards the overall betterment of the society,” informed Kumar, citing the purpose of the two-day programme.
Giving an insight into the efforts of the government, the minister informed that trademarks have been offered to the producers belonging to the scheduled section of the society, especially in the handloom sector as he cited the instance of Surajkund Mela, an annual event held in Uttar Pradesh, wherein they were provided with trademarks to help own their products.
“We are trying to engage them in the Kaushal Vikas Yojana, provide them with easy loans to support their small business, and help them in moving ahead in the production sector,” he said.
Virendra Kumar added that the Chintan Shivir will act as an ideal platform to discuss such ideas and aid in the overall development of a society. He further spoke on the lines of the pre-matric and post-matric scholarships available for students belonging to the scheduled castes and tribes, the minister said that the government, through these Shivers, will try to monitor the actions taken for smooth on-time distribution of the same.
Stressing the need to accelerate the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, Kumar said that intoxication is a huge challenge for society and everyone has to join in this endeavor and pay attention to this challenge.
“There are 500 government rehabilitation centres, through which we facilitate treatment. We have also set up Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATF) at government hospitals to further help youths cope and get better so that in future, they can contribute to the nation building in their own capacities,” he further informed.
Pratima Bhoumik, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in her address said that the government is working on the idea of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and thus, all round, holistic and sustainable development across every sector under the Ministry is the top priority of the Centre, adding, “During these two days we will have in-depth discussions, with a platform to exchange ideas and discuss projects that had worked in different states and how to best emulate results. The discussion held during these days will help evolve an action plan to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision 2047.”
In his address, Meghalaya Social Welfare Minister of Meghalaya, Paul Lyngdoh exclaimed that the Chintan Shivir will provide a platform to celebrate shared vision, values, and achievements.
While enumerating the various welfare schemes of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Lyngdoh said that the Ministry introduced critical schemes to ensure every citizen may reach their potential.
The Minister highlighted various policies adopted by the State for the effective implementation of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. He explained the recently passed Mission by the Meghalaya Cabinet namely the Drug Reduction Elimination & Action Mission (DREAM) and has been planned with a vision to build a “Drug-free Meghalaya”, that leverages culture and communities through a multifaceted coordinated strategy to eliminate the incidence of substance use in the state.
Various sessions have been planned during the two-day Chintan Shivir where representatives from Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Delhi, Ladakh, and Jammu & Kashmir will engage in brainstorming sessions to come up with workable interventions for better functioning of the Ministry.