Gurgaon : The society needs voluntary organisations which serve humanity in ways the government cannot do, President Pranab Mukherjee said Sunday.
Though the government was doing a lot, a gap still remains between demand and availability, and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) should come forward to bridge that gap, Mukherjee said in his address.
He inaugurated an old-age home and the Pranavananda International School building of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS) in Wazirpur village in Gurgaon’s Sector 92.
The president said the core of India’s Constitution was “Sarve Sukhina Bhavantu, Sarve Santu Niramaya”, which means everybody should be happy and free from illness.
He said the objective of all social activity should be “Bahujan Hitay, Bahujan Sukhay”, meaning “welfare of all” and it should not be for an individual but for the whole of humanity.
Mukherjee said the Bharat Sevashram Sangha was launching a series of celebrations beginning with Sunday’s event to mark its centenary year in 2017.
The BSS was founded by Pranavanandaji Maharaj as a medium to liberate the society from social injustice, inequality, backwardness and superstitious beliefs.
The BSS today has over 100 branches and 550 sub-units, Mukherjee said. It has 23 branches outside India, including in the US, Britain and Canada.
Mukherjee said the BSS was engaged in social welfare activities and contributing towards development of the financially weak and neglected sections of the society.
He said it also played a major role in rescue and relief operations during the devastating floods in Uttarakhand last year and in Jammu and Kashmir recently.
Earlier, Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki said India is known for its spirituality.
Solanki refered to Swami Vivekananda who said the 21st century would belong to India, which has now been proved right because the world is looking towards India for the kind of human values and virtues needed now for universal peace.
Haryana Finance Minister Abhimanyu said the government was committed towards social welfare and care of the elderly.
He said the government has decided to increase the old age honour allowance from Rs.1,000 to Rs.1,200 per month from January 2015 and it will be increased by Rs.200 every year.
He said the universities in Haryana will be converted into centres of excellence where the youth will be groomed into good human beings.