The National Conference of Chairpersons of Committees on the Welfare of SCs and STs began in Bhubaneswar, inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh highlighted Parliament’s role in social justice, India’s economic progress, and the need for a nationwide campaign against casteism.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh with other leaders on Friday. Pic/PTI
The National Conference of Chairpersons of Committees of Parliament and State Legislatures on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes began on Friday in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, reported ANI.
The two-day conference was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. On this occasion, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, while highlighting the prominence of Parliament in the democracy, said, “Parliament and its committees serve as a powerful platform to realise the ideals of social, economic and political justice enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution.”
The Deputy Chairperson further stated that the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, constituted in 1968, studies the reports of national commissions and examines the steps taken by the government, reported ANI.
Harivansh, while describing India's Independence as not only a political transformation, said, “Independence was also a social awakening, recalling the long tradition of social reformers who challenged orthodoxy and paved the way for progressive social thought.
Highlighting India's economic progress, Harivansh said, “India has risen from being part of the 'Fragile Five' (2013) to becoming the world's fourth-largest economy (2025). According to the World Bank, extreme poverty in India has declined from 16 percent in 2011-12 to 2.3 percent in 2022-23, while multidimensional poverty has come down from 54 percent to 15 percent. For prosperity to be shared with the people, the nation must be strong and wealthy. Hollow slogans only distribute poverty. Prosperity alone creates equal opportunities, not deprivation.”
Calling for a nationwide campaign to eradicate casteism, similar to the freedom movement, he emphasised, “While reservation remains essential, a change in people's mindset is equally necessary for building an egalitarian society. Public awareness campaigns are needed in this regard."
At the beginning of his address, the Deputy Chairman paid homage to the martyrs of the Amarko-Simko Movement (Odisha, 1939), often called the "Jallianwala Bagh of Odisha".
He also stated that Odisha has given India its first tribal woman president, Droupadi Murmu. Praising the President, the Deputy Chairman said, “She is a symbol of simplicity and struggle. Odisha stands as an exemplary model of inclusive development among tribal-dominated states.”
(With inputs from ANI)
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