Two-day workshop on Indian Constitution begins in Shivamogga

Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das, chairperson of the one-man commission on the internal reservation of Scheduled Castes, has stressed the need for preparing activists to spread the significance of the Indian Constitution.

Speaking at the inauguration of a two-day workshop on the Indian Constitution in Shivamogga on Saturday, Mr. Das said that understanding the essence of the Constitution was important for the progress of all in society. “No matter who rules the country, we should ensure they rule as per the Constitution. I firmly believe that we can resolve many of our problems and achieve progress if we tread the path shown by the Constitution,” he said.

Elaborating on the Samvidhana Odu, a campaign launched in 2018, he said that he had addressed hundreds of gatherings over the past few years, spreading the importance of the Indian Constitution. “I have addressed at least 2,000 meetings in the last five years. However, I cannot reach the entire State in my lifetime. Hence, my team and I decided to conduct workshops in district centres so that we prepare people who can take the message further to rural areas,” Mr. Das said.

He called upon the activists who participated in the workshop to engage actively in the campaign and spread the importance of the Constitution.

Minister for School Education Madhu Bangarappa said that as a student he hardly studied about the Indian Constitution. However, after becoming a Minister, he made reciting of the Preamble of the Constitution compulsory in all schools. “The initiative will help us a great deal in the coming days,” he said.

Highlighting teachers’ vacancies in government schools, Mr. Madhu Bangarappa appealed to Justice Nagamohan Das to clear the issue of internal reservation at the earliest so that his department could recruit teachers. “There are 51,000 vacancies in our department. We are preparing to recruit around 18,000 teachers. We will do it as soon as the reservation is finalised,” he said.

Sharath Ananthamurthy, Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University said that many among the youth had misunderstood the reservation policy. “There is a need for debate on reservation in colleges and universities and address the misunderstanding. The students should be told about the importance of reservation and the actual meaning of merit,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer N. Hemanth, advocate K.P. Sripal and others were present.