By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi: In today’s modern world, there should be no place for discrimination among citizens on the basis of race, religion or region, said Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at the 4-day global conference on ‘Empowerment and Equal Opportunity.’
Addressing the concluding session of the conference on 9th March in New Delhi, the chief minister said all sections of the society should get equal opportunities of progress. No democracy could make progress by neglecting its minority communities, she said.
The programme organized by South Asian Council of Minorities with the cooperation of Institute of Objective Studies was attended by intellectuals from the regional countries including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Misbah Kamal (Bangladesh) and Raza Yahya (Sri Lanka) shed light on prevailing situation of minority communities in their countries.
Referring to Sachar Committee report, member of the Sachar Committee Dr. Abu Saleh Sharif said the condition of Muslim minority in India is quite different from that of their counterparts in Europe, U.S., Africa and other countries. Unlike these countries, Muslims in India do not comprise refugees, rather they are a part of the country’s historical and racial ethos, he said. He said if Equal Opportunity Commission is formed as per recommendations of the Sachar Committee, it will definitely help in solving the problems of discrimination and bias being faced by the community.
At the end of the programme, a resolution was passed in which discrimination against minorities was condemned and governments were asked to ensure their citizens enjoy human rights as prescribed by the United Nations.