New Delhi, Aug 14 (FN Bureau) Addressing the nation on the eve of 78th Independence Day on Wednesday President Droupadi Murmu emphasised that Social justice is a top priority of the Government, highlighting numerous initiatives taken for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other marginalized sections of society. Reiterating the words of Constitution architect Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, “We must make our political democracy a social democracy as well. Political democracy cannot last unless it is supported by social democracy,” the President said that the steady progress of political democracy testifies to the progress made towards the consolidation of social democracy. The spirit of inclusion pervades every aspect of our social life.
We move together as a cohesive nation with our diversity and plurality. Affirmative action must be strengthened as an instrument of inclusion, Murmu said adding, “I firmly believe that in a vast country like ours, tendencies that stoke discord based upon perceived social hierarchies have to be rejected.” “Social justice is a top priority of the Government, and it has taken a number of unprecedented initiatives for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other marginalised sections of society,” she said. Highlighting some of the initiatives taken by the government, the President said, “Pradhan Mantri Samajik Utthan evam Rozgar Adharit Jankalyan, that is, PM-SURAJ, for example, aims to provide direct financial assistance to the people from the marginalised communities. The Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan or PM-JANMAN has taken the form of a mass campaign for critical interventions to improve socio-economic conditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, that is, PVTGs.” “The National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem or the NAMASTE scheme will ensure that no sanitation workers will have to manually engage in the hazardous task of sewer and septic tank cleaning,” she added.