New Delhi:
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday mentioned India has been handled “most unfairly” by some world entities as a result of they haven’t delved deep into its efficiency, at the same time as he urged them to pay attention to the “big change in governance” within the nation.
His remarks made throughout his tackle at an occasion right here marking the Human Rights Day come towards the backdrop of India rating 111th out of 125 international locations within the World Starvation Index-2023 launched in October.
“It pains me sometimes when those who need to… become critics, chronic critics. Something has to be done in this aspect. I say with pain, we need to be alive to pernicious narratives and external calibrations that turn Nelson’s eye to our exemplary performance,” Mr Dhankhar mentioned.
The vice chairman mentioned he was startled that in a rustic of a dimension of 1.4 billion, “people pick up to speak of hunger crisis”.
“Don’t they realise, since April 2020, more than 800 million people are being given free food. That is the strength of this country,” he mentioned.
“And, some people have the audacity to get away from ground realities, distance themselves from facts, and talk of hunger index of this country. They need to revisit their approach which is irrational and if I may say, prejudicial to those engaged in shaping the course of humanity,” Mr Dhankhar mentioned, with out naming any organisation.
The vice chairman expressed concern over “pernicious narratives and external calibrations” by these gauging India’s progress, sitting in air-conditioned and closed chambers, indifferent from the “index of hope, optimism, and confidence” that has been fostered by authorities insurance policies.
“We have been treated most unfairly by certain entities because they have not delved deep into our performance. Scratching the surface is not appropriate on such aspects,” Mr Dhankhar mentioned.
In his tackle on the Nationwide Human Rights Fee (NHRC) occasion held at Bharat Mandapam, he additionally underlined that the “greatest danger” to human rights emanates from corruption, and that corruption has been “neutralised in power corridors”.
“Corruption and human rights cannot co-exist,” he asserted.
In his tackle, he additionally mentioned no a part of the globe is so “blossoming, prospering with human rights as our country is doing”.
“And, why not, our civilisational ethos, constitutional framework, reflect our deep commitment to respecting, safeguarding and nurturing human rights. It is in our DNA,” the vice chairman mentioned.
The event additionally marked the seventy fifth anniversary of the Common Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp was additionally current on the occasion. Sharp, in his tackle, additionally learn out the message of UN Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres to the viewers.
“A coincidence, this (75th anniversary of UDHR) just follows our ‘Amrit Kaal’, and our ‘Amrit Kaal’ has become our ‘Gaurav Kaal’ primarily due to the blossoming of human rights and values,” Mr Dhankhar mentioned.
“We had an occasion to get a message from the (UN) Secretary-General. It would have been appropriate and worthwhile to take note of the massive, revolutionary affirmative changes that are taking place in Bharat, home to one-sixth of humanity, on the promotion of human rights,” he mentioned.
The vice chairman mentioned “we are now role model to the world in nurturing human rights. Our commitment to human rights is firmly anchored in our robust system we have in Legislature, Judiciary and Executive”.
Asserting that nurturing human rights is the “cornerstone of democracy”, Mr Dhankhar mentioned there may be “wholesome convergence in our country of all the organs of the State — Legislature, Judiciary, and Executive”. “We must be proud of the evolution of an ecosystem where human rights flourish now as never before,” he mentioned.
The vice chairman additionally spoke of the assistance prolonged by India throughout COVID-19 when it gave anti-Covid vaccine to 100 international locations.
“There needs to be global reflection, recognition of this, particularly by global entities that are engaged in assessing these things,” Mr Dhankhar added.
In his tackle, he additionally talked about about freebie politics, and emphasised that human rights are spinally strengthened when there may be “human empowerment in sharp contradiction to fiscal patronage”.
Politics of so-called freebies distort expenditure priorities, Mr Dhankhar mentioned and asserted that the necessity was to “empower not pockets but human minds”.
“Empowerment of pockets by fiscal grant only increases dependence. The politics of so-called freebies for which we see a mad race distort expenditure priorities. Freebies, as per economic giants, undercut the basic framework of macroeconomic stability,” he mentioned.
There must be a “healthy national debate” on how costly this fiscal patronage is for the economic system, life high quality and social cohesion in the long term, Mr Dhankhar added.
“I would greatly appreciate it if the National Human Rights Commission… catalysing a debate, coming out with a paper that can be extremely informative, motivational and inspirational for people at large, and those who are in seats of governance can be enlightened that we need to empower not pockets but human minds, human resource,” he mentioned.
In his tackle, Mr Dhankhar additionally mentioned “no one is above the law, be you ever so high, the law is always above you, is the new norm in the country. A peak paradigm shift”. He additionally mentioned corruption creates an atmosphere the place exploitation and discrimination can thrive, hitting the weak and the weakest the toughest.
“Corruption and human rights cannot co-exist. The bane of corruption in India for long is now contained…corruption has been neutralised in power corridors. This is a very big change in governance. I will appreciate global entities to take note of it,” he added.
In his tackle, Mr Dhankhar additionally spoke of the “massive infrastructural growth in the country” saying it was quintessential to proliferation and empowerment of human rights.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)