Inclusion of Non-Violence in Preamble of Constitution Will be a Step Forward in Protection of Human Rights: Odisha CM

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said that the inclusion of non-violence (ahimsa) in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution will be a step forward in the protection of human rights.

Speaking at a function organised by Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) at Jayadev Bhawan here on Tuesday on occasion of World Human Rights Day, the Chief Minister said, “Our freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi based on the principles of non-violence was as much a struggle for our independence as for human rights of all. My proposal for inclusion of non-violence in the preamble of our constitution will be a step forward in the protection of human rights”.

Naveen said, “Human Rights assume utmost importance in the present day world after adoption of the universal declaration of human rights by UN General Assembly in 1948. It is a historic landmark in the annals of humanity in breaking the barriers based on caste, color, religion and nationalism”.

Thanks to the vigilance of women delegates that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) became gender-neutral and provided the same rights to women as it guaranteed to men. The critical mass of women in legislature and in other spheres of collective life is now understood as a step forward to the cause of human rights, the CM said.

By fielding women in one-third of the parliamentary seats of Odisha and creating numerous other opportunities for women empowerment, Odisha has created a revolutionary trend which is being acknowledged across the nation as a major step for inclusive politics and development, Naveen emphasized.

The Odisha CM said, “My Government is committed to protect the rights and upholding the dignity of people and is also working to ensure that no one is deprived of the basic facilities provided by the Government”.
Transformation can take place only if individual freedom and dignity are guaranteed, he further said.

“Let us all rededicate ourselves to uphold and protect human rights of all, especially of those who have become victims of structured forms of inequality and other forms of exclusion”, the CM appealed.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister also felicitated former members of the OHRC Sudhansu Mohan Patnaik, R.N. Bohidar, B.K. Mishra and B.K. Patnaik.