New Delhi
Inaugurating the Conference of Governors, 2024, President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said in her opening remarks that a large section of our tribal population lives in the Scheduled and Tribal areas, and urged the Governors to suggest ways to achieve inclusive development of the people of these areas.
The President further pointed out that the “Government of India had been giving utmost priority to the development of the poor, the border areas, the deprived sections and areas, and people left behind in the development journey”. The President expressed the confidence that all the Governors will continue to contribute to the service and welfare of the people, doing justice to the oath taken by them.
The agenda of the Conference includes implementation of three new criminal laws; reforms in higher education and accreditation of universities; development of tribal areas and aspirational districts. It will cover a wide range of issues that play a critical role in not only shaping the Centre-state relations but also promoting welfare schemes for common people.
The President too dwelled on the agenda saying it included “carefully chosen issues that are crucial in achieving our national goals”. She said that the deliberations of this conference would be an enriching experience for all participants and help them in their functioning.
The Vice President, the Prime Minister and the Union Minister for Home Affairs also addressed the inaugural session.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar referred to the oath of the Governors and urged them to discharge their constitutional responsibility of making people aware of social welfare schemes and incredible development that have taken place during the last decade.
In his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Governors to play the role of an effective bridge between the Centre and the State and interact with people and social organisations in a manner to co-opt those who are underprivileged. He said that the post of the Governor was an important institution which could play a crucial role in the welfare of people of the State within the framework of the Constitution, particularly with reference to tribal areas.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged the Governors to visit Vibrant Villages and Aspirational Districts to instill confidence among people and give fillip to developmental work.
The President highlighted the implementation of three new laws related to criminal justice to maintain that a new era of the justice system had begun in the country. She called for the various Central agencies to work with better coordination across all the States and advised the Governors to think about how they, as the constitutional heads of the respective States, can promote this coordination.
While she urged the Governors to contribute to the reform process, ushered in through the National Education Policy, in their capacity as the Chancellors of State universities, she asked the Governors to encourage the people associated with the ‘MY Bharat’ campaign so that more and more youth get benefitted. She also urged the Governors to contribute to the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ campaign to further strengthening the spirit of unity.
The President said that many efforts are being made to deal with the challenges such as climate change and global warming. The Governors can contribute to this by making the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign a people’s movement on a larger scale. The President further said that by encouraging natural farming, we can increase soil fertility and enhance farmers’ income. She stated that to promote natural farming, the Raj Bhavans can lead by example.
The Conference is designed to have breakaway sessions in which sub-groups of Governors will deliberate on each agenda item. Apart from the Governors, such sessions will also be attended by Union Ministers and officials of the Ministries concerned. The observations and suggestions of the sub-groups will be presented before the President, Vice President, Prime Minister and other participants during the concluding session on Saturday (August 3).
