New Delhi, February 19: The Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (NMCPCR), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) organized a workshop in collaboration with the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies (ICPS), on the topic “Empowering Youth with Constitutional Values and Fundamental Duties” on 14th February, 2024. The programme was attended by Prof. Eqbal Hussain, Vice Chancellor, JMI, the members of the ICPS (Lok Sabha Secretariat), an enthusiastic audience that included the faculty, scholars and students of the various departments of JMI. The session was chaired by Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi, Director, NMCPCR, JMI with the Vice Chancellor of JMI, Prof. Eqbal Hussain as the chief guest.
The programme began with the welcome address by Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi. He formally introduced the speakers while praising the contributions of ICPS and the Lok Sabha Secretariat towards the continuing strength of democracy in India. Following the formal introduction, Dr. Seema Kaul Singh started with an introduction about ICPS and its institutional evolution. She emphasized on the importance of citizens’ awareness about Constitutional Values and Fundamental Duties.
The session started with a talk by Ms. Ankita Bali, Legal Consultant, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India. She began her talk on Constitutional Values with a focus on the Fundamental Rights and elaborated on how these rights form the bedrock of our Constitutional Values. She emphasized on the importance of Directive Principles and the importance of the harmony between the Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles.
This was followed by a talk by Dr. Ravindra Garimella, former joint Secretary, Lok Sabha who began by emphasizing on the genesis and origin of the Fundamental Duties that took a cue from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the vision of Mahatma Gandhi which was incorporated by the Swaran Singh Committee in its recommendations for Fundamental Duties. While the introduction of Fundamental Duties marks a significant milestone in social and legal framework in India, these duties are intended to complement the Fundamental Rights in instilling a sense of duty towards the nation.
Prof. Eqbal Hussain, Vice Chancellor, JMI started his speech by congratulating the NMCPCR for hosting such an important workshop. He emphasized on the importance of the government’s efforts in engaging the youth through initiatives like ‘Viksit Bharat’ under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
He also reiterated the importance of the Constitutional Values and stressed that these values need to be imbibed by the youth of India.
This was followed up by the faculty of NMCPCR felicitating the Vice Chancellor and the guest speakers by presenting each of them with a bouquet of flowers.
The session ended with a formal vote of thanks by Dr. Syed Jaleel Hussain, Assistant Professor NMCPCR, who thanked all the participants and the delegates for an enriching session.
