Chairperson writes to PM on Manual Scavenging
The National Human Rights Commission has urged the Prime Minister to direct the concerned authorities to take immediate necessary steps to end the practice of manual scavenging by Gandhi Jayanti Day, 2 October 2003.
This appeal was made by the Chairperson, Dr. Justice A.S. Anand, in a recent letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India, Shri A.B. Vajpayee. The Commission drew his attention to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, tabled in the Parliament, according to which the decade-long effort of the Government to end the demeaning practice of manual scavenging had failed.
The Chairperson recalled that his predecessor, Justice J.S. Verma, had written to the Prime Minister on 14 August 2001, 14 January 2002 and 12 August 2002 on the subject. Despite Prime Minister's assurance that the need to end the practice of manual scavenging had been included as part of the 15-point initiative announced on 15 August 2002, Justice Anand pointed out that this inhuman practice still continued in several States. The practice of manual scavenging is an affront to human dignity and a major social evil, which needs to be eliminated, he added.
The Commission has, for a number of years, been deeply concerned about the degrading practice of manual scavenging. It has addressed successive letters on this subject to the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of the States. It has also pursued this matter on every possible occasion in its interactions with the competent authorities in the States.
Consultation with NGOs of the Western Region
The Commission organized a Regional Consultation with NGOs and voluntary organizations at Pune on 13 June 2003. Nearly seventy representatives of these institutions from the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa participated in that meeting. Ways and means of furthering co-operation between the Commission and NGOs were discussed.
In his remarks, the Chairperson, Dr. Justice Anand underscored the need for creating a culture of human rights. He said that NGOs, civil society and the Commission could jointly strive for this goal by spreading human rights literacy and awareness. He also observed that NGOs could play an important role in ensuring compliance of the Supreme Court guidelines in the D.K. Basu case. He urged them to identify dubious organizations, which brought a bad name to the NGO sector and to isolate them. Earlier, the Commission had organized Regional Consultations in the Northern, Eastern and Southern regions.
Seminar on Human Rights organized by Madhya Pradesh
Human Rights Commission
Referring to the entrenched attitudes of society in respect of women, persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other vulnerable groups, the Chairperson, Dr. Justice A.S. Anand underscored the need to spread human rights awareness, highlighting the role that various agencies could play in this regard. He made these remarks while inaugurating a Seminar organized by the Madhya Pradesh State Human Rights Commission in Bhopal on 25 July 2003.
This appeal was made by the Chairperson, Dr. Justice A.S. Anand, in a recent letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India, Shri A.B. Vajpayee. The Commission drew his attention to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, tabled in the Parliament, according to which the decade-long effort of the Government to end the demeaning practice of manual scavenging had failed.
The Chairperson recalled that his predecessor, Justice J.S. Verma, had written to the Prime Minister on 14 August 2001, 14 January 2002 and 12 August 2002 on the subject. Despite Prime Minister's assurance that the need to end the practice of manual scavenging had been included as part of the 15-point initiative announced on 15 August 2002, Justice Anand pointed out that this inhuman practice still continued in several States. The practice of manual scavenging is an affront to human dignity and a major social evil, which needs to be eliminated, he added.
The Commission has, for a number of years, been deeply concerned about the degrading practice of manual scavenging. It has addressed successive letters on this subject to the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of the States. It has also pursued this matter on every possible occasion in its interactions with the competent authorities in the States.
Consultation with NGOs of the Western Region
The Commission organized a Regional Consultation with NGOs and voluntary organizations at Pune on 13 June 2003. Nearly seventy representatives of these institutions from the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa participated in that meeting. Ways and means of furthering co-operation between the Commission and NGOs were discussed.
In his remarks, the Chairperson, Dr. Justice Anand underscored the need for creating a culture of human rights. He said that NGOs, civil society and the Commission could jointly strive for this goal by spreading human rights literacy and awareness. He also observed that NGOs could play an important role in ensuring compliance of the Supreme Court guidelines in the D.K. Basu case. He urged them to identify dubious organizations, which brought a bad name to the NGO sector and to isolate them. Earlier, the Commission had organized Regional Consultations in the Northern, Eastern and Southern regions.
Seminar on Human Rights organized by Madhya Pradesh
Human Rights Commission
Referring to the entrenched attitudes of society in respect of women, persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other vulnerable groups, the Chairperson, Dr. Justice A.S. Anand underscored the need to spread human rights awareness, highlighting the role that various agencies could play in this regard. He made these remarks while inaugurating a Seminar organized by the Madhya Pradesh State Human Rights Commission in Bhopal on 25 July 2003.