The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Gandhi award conferred on Arjun Singh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 31, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Gandhi award conferred on Arjun Singh

Special Correspondent

For "unwavering commitment to secularism, democracy, social justice"

UPHOLDING VALUES: Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh with the Mahatma Gandhi award presented to him by Krishnammal Jeganathan, Secretary, Land for the Tillers' Freedom, in Chennai on Wednesday. N. Mahalingam, industrialist (lef t), and S. Mohan, former Supreme Court judge, are in the picture. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh was conferred the Mahatma Gandhi award for communal harmony and social justice by Senior Gandhian Fellowship of South India Centre for Experiencing Socio-Cultural Interaction (CESCI), Madurai, at a function here on Wednesday.

The award given for Mr. Singh's "unwavering commitment to the values of secularism, democracy, and social justice," consisted of a citation and a statue of Gandhi.

The citation highlighted his spirited fight for upholding the rights of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Support sought

for 'gram swaraj'

Mrs. Krishnammal Jeganathan, Secretary, Land for the Tillers' Freedom, who presented the award, urged Mr. Singh to help mobilise people's support for ensuring `gram swaraj'.

"Let us work together to secure `gram swaraj' and alleviate the sufferings of the masses in the rural India."

Appeal to Minister

N. Mahalingam, Chairman, Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai, who presided, appealed to the Minister to see that the Hindi belt also had free education for all.

Mr. Singh said the Government was taking cognisance of the conflicts prevailing at various levels.

"We are making efforts to nurture skills for peace and harmony among schoolchildren by imbibing Gandhian ideas in them. Programmes are being implemented so that the future generations are taught about non-violence and non-violent conflict resolutions."

Justice S. Mohan, former Supreme Court Judge; M. Mariappan, Chairman, Sarvodaya Ilakkia Pannai, Madurai; P.V. Rajagopal, Vice-Chairman, Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi; Lavanam, Director, Atheist Centre; were among those who spoke.

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