Kollam has become India’s first constitution literate district; the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that constitutional values should be merged with our lives and governance, in order to achieve complete constitutional literacy.
The success is the result of a seven-month campaign launched by the Kollam district panchayat, district planning committee, and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration to create awareness about various aspects of the country’s laws and citizen rights. Secularism is constitutional. No religion is above or below another. Efforts to deviate people from secular values should be seen seriously. Here there is the freedom to live even without faith in religion. The majority of the people are secular. Attempts should be made to promote scientific temper and rationality”, Vijayan said.
As part of the campaign, the entire population of Kollam above the age of 10 years was informed about the Preamble of the Constitution and the historical background of the document, its basic principles, fundamental rights of citizens and legal remedies.
The aim was to provide constitution literacy to 23 lakh citizens who belong to 7 lakh families in the district. Awareness classes were organised too to spread the motive around 90% of the people in Kollam.
Round 16.3 lakh people, above 10 years of age, were educated by 2,200 trainers called ‘senators’, who visited schools, offices, auto stands, and tribal councils to create awareness. The stress was on the need to preserve the country’s federal system, “Attempts are being made to destroy the nation’s unity in diversity. Constitutional values rooted in kindness and love for fellow beings will help in challenging all this”, said by the Chief Minister.
The ceremony was attended by many leaders, including Minister for Animal Husbandry J Chinchurani, Mayor Prasanna Earnest, NK Premachandran MP, district collector Afsana Praveen, M Naushad MLA, Kovoor Kunjumon MLA, Dr. Sujith Vijayan MLA, PS Supal MLA, CR Mahesh MLA and district panchayat president Sam K Daniel among others.
Everyone was made to participate in the campaign including the government institutions, private establishments, socio-cultural organisations, and educational institutions irrespective of the space.
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