Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that civil societies enable the citizens to engage in deliberative dialogues and cooperative efforts, outside the adversarial arena of electoral politics, towards achieving national objectives. He said there are various sectors, ranging from education to the health sector, from gender equality to environment, where both governments and civil society institutions have worked hand-in-hand and have achieved significant quantifiable progress
Challenges related to environmental protection and development and need to connect the modern generation with folk traditions were some of the important topics discussed at the Civil 20 (C-20) Summit in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
The C20 is part of India’s ongoing G-20 presidency. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that a robust and enlightened Civil society is essential for a functioning democracy.
He said that civil societies enable the citizens to engage in deliberative dialogues and cooperative efforts, outside the adversarial arena of electoral politics, towards achieving national objectives. He said there are various sectors, ranging from education to the health sector, from gender equality to environment, where both governments and civil society institutions have worked hand-in-hand and have achieved significant quantifiable progress, reported NewsonAir.
Addressing the Civil 20 (C20) India Summit in Jaipur, Singh said that the advantages of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and traditional government structures need to be harnessed to achieve the goal of holistic development.
“While the government apparatus is more rigidly structured and institutionalised and the initiatives broadly represent the ideas of a substantial majority, the CSOs have fluid structures that provide a greater scope for new ideas and practices to play out in the society,” Singh said as reported by Hindustan Times.
In modern state structures, the governments cannot act in a hasty manner on novel and untested ideas, but the CSOs have plenty of scope as they operate in a bottom-up approach and are more responsive towards the ever-shifting ground realities, he said, adding that the CSOs can act as force-multipliers for the governments.
Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said civil society organisations should work towards addressing challenges related to gender inequality, sustainable development and climate change, reported news agency PTI.
Mishra also called the Civil 20 or C20 important from the point of view of establishing a balance between the economic and civil interests of the G20 bloc countries.
Mishra said it is necessary that humans have affection for each other to remove economic inequality, gender disparity and achieve the goal of sustainable development. To achieve these goals, civil society organisations can play an important role in adapting the country’s development plans, reported PTI.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has progressed rapidly on the path of development. Under a strong ecosystem of public infrastructure and a series of national missions, effective schemes have been implemented to remove poverty, gender and economic disparity, he said.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje said the consequences of the conditions created by the exploitation of natural resources are coming out in the form of climate change and added that women, children and the poor and weaker sections have to bear the impact of an adverse climate.
She emphasised on making policies for restrained and equitable use of natural resources by taking all cultures together.
