Chandigarh :The Centre for Human Rights and Duties, University Institute of Emerging Areas in Social Sciences, Panjab University, organized an interactive session with Professor Pam Rajput for its students. Dr. Rajput formerly Chairperson, Department of Political Science and founder Director Centre for Women Studies and Development, Panjab University Chandigarh, is currently Executive Director Women Resource and Advocacy Centre. She has recently been nominated on the high powered Committee on the Status of Women by the Government of India.
Dr. Pam Rajput opined that in tune with changing times moving beyond the traditional lecture mode is the need of the hour because it helps in better understanding the thinking of young generation. The Students pursuing Masters’ programme at the Centre who actively participated in the two way communication included Suridhi, Ishita, Manoj, Ajay, Isha, Sunny , Neeru and Ajaypaul Singh. They raised questions on multifarious issues pertaining to caste based census, commercialization of education, lesser representation of women in army, reservation for women in legislature, dummy representation of women in municipal bodies, corporate social responsibility, possibility of introducing citizens’ civic service with regard to cleanliness, women’s resolve to control population explosion, challenges that a social worker or a human rights activist comes across and the changing focus of some such people to promote their personal agenda in the guise of human rights and social work. The renowned expert categorically said that by introducing citizen’s module in the Centre for Human rights and Duties civic awareness can be inculcated in the neighboring villages on a regular basis. Professor Rajput also emphasized the role played by counseling in bringing about a change in the stereotype thinking. According to her a woman soldier need to be looked at only as a soldier and not as a woman soldier. She stressed upon the need to engender our approach to handle the tasks at hand. The teaching faculties of the Centre for Police Administration and Centre for Social Work along with some of the students of the latter were also present on the occasion. Earlier, Dr. Sheena Pall, Dr. Namita Gupta, Ms. Upneet Kaur Mangat and Coordinator of the Centre Dr. Swarnjit Kaur welcomed the distinguished guest.