New Delhi: As part of the Narendra Modi government’s planned celebrations of the Indian Constitution’s 70th anniversary, the Ministry of Human Resource Development wants all higher education students to learn about the document and take a pledge to abide by the fundamental duties enshrined in it.
Titled ‘Samvidhan se Samrasta Utsav’ (Constitution to Harmony Celebration)’, the celebrations will begin next week on 26 November, Constitution Day, and go on until the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar, who is called the “father of the Indian Constitution”, on 14 April 2020.
The Modi government wants the celebration to be a “mass movement” this year.
Lessons and pledge
As part of the movement, the HRD ministry has sent a circular to all higher education institutions, including technical and non-technical, to conduct a host of activities. ThePrint has seen a copy of the circular.
The ministry wants law colleges to teach other institutions about the Constitution. “Every law college may be asked to identify 10 colleges/higher education institutions located nearby and organise talks about the importance of Indian constitution and to spread awareness about Fundamental Duties,” reads the circular.
With around 1,200 law colleges in the country, the government is expecting that over 10,000 higher education institutions will be covered under the plan.
The ministry has also directed all higher education institutions to administer a pledge to students on 26 November to follow fundamental duties.
Eleven fundamental duties — including development of scientific temper and promotion of harmony — are enshrined under Article 51(A) of the Constitution.
The students will also have to watch live proceedings of the Parliament session on that day. The institutions have been directed to make proper arrangements so that maximum students are able to watch the live telecast from the Central Hall.
Other activities
The HRD ministry has also asked the University Grants Commission to coordinate a list of activities for the celebrations in consultation with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
The ministry has directed institutions to organise mock parliament competitions for students. Various other competitions, such as essay writing, should be organised too, and the entries should be invited starting 26 November, adds the circular.
The Modi government wants participation of at least 1 lakh students in the various competitions that are set to be organised.
A host of other activities by other ministries have also been planned. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will serve as the nodal ministry for organising the programmes.
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