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ALL INDIA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL??? Regd Office: 1 Amar Jyothi Colony, New Bowenpally, Secunderabad 500 011 Andhra Pradesh Phone No: 27868907 Fax: 27868908 President Dr Joseph D Souza Secretary General Dr John Dayal PRESS STATEMENT 16 September 2004 NGOs welcome Planning Commission invitation for consultations Plan Panel member Mungekar, Sister Mary Scaria, Dalit writer Gael Omvelt honoured Non governmental organisations and activists working in areas of Human rights and development of Minorities, Dalits, OBCs and other marginalized groups have welcomed the offer made by the Planning Commission to seek their cooperation in evolving effective intervention to raise the standards of quality of life, employment and education. Newly appointed Planning Commission Member and eminent Dalit scholar Professor BC Mungekar, who was the first Dalit Vice chancellor of the Bombay university till his recent elevation, announced he would call a meeting soon of voluntary bodies and activists to discuss with them the wide gamut of issues relating to subjects under his change, including education, culture, archaeology and human resource. Dr Mungekar made the announcement at a function organised in his honour at the India International Centre by a group of Civil and human rights organisations including the All India Christian Council, the All India Catholic Union, the Satyashodhak Samaj and others. Also honoured for their contribution to the marginalized were famed author and thinker and Nehru Scholar Dr. Gael Omvelt, Catholic nun Sr Marcy Scaria, coordinator of the Delhi-based Justice and Peace Commission and former MP, Salkhan Murmu who was instrumental in getting the Santhali tribal language constitutional status. Among those who felicitated Dr Mungekar were Jawaharlal Nehru University professor and activist, Dr Kamal Mitra Chenoy, noted Economist Dr Jacob George, Human rights activist Dr John Dayal and Mr. Sunil Sardar, OBC activist of the Satyashodhak Samaj working in Maharashtra and North India. The speakers highlighted the contribution made by Dr Mungekar, who created history when he was nominated vice chancellor of the 146 year old Bombay university. There was controversy when he named important university structures after Dalit and OBC leaders including Ambedkar and Phule. But, said Mungekar, during his three years in office, for the first time perhaps, Dalit parents and students could approach the highest office without trepidation. That itself was an empowerment in a situation where the Dalits had been kept out of the corridors, literally, of the university. Mungekar said the commission headed by Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia had excellent representation of various sections of society and was committed to a result-oriented planning process. The Tenth Five year Plan is now in a mid-term review after the formation of the new commission by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who administered the oath of office to the members. Mungekar said he was particularly concerned over the education crisis among the Dalits and marginalized with low admissions, high drop-outs and under employment in an environment of prejudice and diminished opportunity. Non governmental organisations could be important partners of the government in identifying areas which needed urgent redress, he said. -------- Released for publication by Dr John Dayal |
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