RS Dy Chairman calls for nationwide campaign against casteism

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Friday, while emphasizing the crucial role of parliamentary committees in promoting harmony and justice in society, called for nationwide campaign against casteism.

Addressing the national conference of the Committees on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Bhubaneswar, Harivansh noted that India’s economic transformation has been remarkable, with the country progressing from being part of the “Fragile Five” economies in 2013 to becoming the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2025.

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Citing World Bank data, that extreme poverty has declined from 16 percent in 2011-12 to just 2.3 percent in 2022-23, while multidimensional poverty has fallen from 54 to 15 per cent, he commended Odisha’s legacy as a model of inclusive development among tribal-majority regions and lauded the historic rise of President Droupadi Murmu, the country’s first tribal woman President.

He also called for a nationwide campaign to eradicate casteism, stressing the importance of changing public mindset to build an inclusive society. “A prosperous and powerful nation is essential to share prosperity with its people. Hollow slogans can only spread poverty — true equality and opportunity stem from wealth, not deprivation,” he said.

The conference was also addressed by prominent leaders, including Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Harivansh began his address by paying tribute to the martyrs of the 1939 Aamko-Simko massacre, known as the Jallianwala Bagh of Odisha.