Under the aegis of the Atmashakti Trust, a national-level rights body, more than 100 delegates from social organisations, PRI members, academia, intelligentsia, mediapersons and team members of Atmashakti congregated for a two-day celebration here.
While celebrating the work in the past 10 years of Atmashakti facilitating people’s collectives towards socio-economic and political rights of Dalits, adivasis, women and other marginalised population of the State, the delegates realised that a strong Lok Sangathan (people’s collective) is imperative and crucial to ensure people’s rights and entitlements.
Now, in Odisha, the trust has been working with 21 regional Sangathans and two State level alliances namely: Odisha Sramajeebee Manch and Mahila Sramajeebee Manch, Odisha which are working with more than 10 lakh families of 9,484 villages in 798 Gram Panchayats under 75 blocks of 15 districts in the State.
Addressing the gathering, executive trustee Ruchi Kashyap said, “We facilitate these self organised groups so that they iundependently take up their own issues that affect their lives. Mass mobilisation through Lok Sangathan is
crucial to ensure people’s rights and entitlements and we will continue our efforts to do so in future.”
MM Singh, a philanthropist and managing trustee of Atmashakti Trust, informed that Atmashakti was started with an objective to create awareness on rights and entitlements of the most deprived and marginalised section of the society with an emphasis on Adivasi and Dalit communiities. He also emphasised on the need to improve the life standard of the rural people through proper facilities in health and education, employment guarantee, safe drinking water and committed to uphold efforts to ensure people’s empowerment.
Attending the event, former Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo, who was felicitated in the event for his solidarity, said, “ Ensuring common people’s rights and entitlements is a challenge However, we should appreciate Atmashakti’s relentless efforts.”
In the concluding event, social activists Pradip Pradhan, Manas Jena, Manas Mishra, Sandeep Pattnaik, journalist Rabi Das and many other dignitaries were felicitated for their long term association and solidarity with Atmashakti’s decade long journey.