Cabinet Secy to review PM's plan for minorities
Pioneer News Service
New Delhi: The Government on Thursday directed the Cabinet Secretary to review the implementation of Prime Minister's 15-point programme on the welfare of Minorities in the year 2007-2008.
After receiving the status report on the programme till March 31 last year, the Union Cabinet at its meeting here on Thursday chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the Cabinet Secretary to review the progress for the current financial year. "The Cabinet Secretary has been directed to review the implementation in 2007-08 and bring a report as early as possible," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting.
The programme seeks to enhance education opportunities and ensure equitable share of minorities in economic activities and employment. It also seeks to improve the living conditions of minorities and take effective steps for prevention and control of communal riots. The programme had drawn flak from the main Opposition, BJP, which had dubbed it as a step to appease minorities. In another decision, the Cabinet gave its approval for India to become a full member of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which will enable it to engage more actively improving conditions for Indian workers abroad.
"India's membership of IOM will enable us to engage more actively with this intergovernmental organisation dealing with the issue of migration in areas of interest to us, particularly those related to improving conditions for Indian workers abroad," Chidambaram told reporters here. The IOM, based in Geneva, was established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration. It has 122 States as members, with 92 Observers, including 18 countries.
India obtained an observer status at IOM in 1991 after the Iraq invasion on Kuwait when IOM helped to airlift several Indian nationals. The IOM was of much help when some 300 Indian nationals had been stranded off the coast of Mauritania and in another incident, supported 59 stranded Indian migrants in Kamsar in Guinea Conakry and facilitated their safe repatriation.
The Pioneer, May 2, 2008 |
