Protect rights of poorest of poor: Tamilisai Soundararajan

Hyderabad: Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday called for protection of the rights of the poorest of the poor and other underprivileged sections. "It is vital to protect the rights of people in the true constitutional spirit. Advocates and others concerned must be the voice of the voiceless," she said.

The Governor was inaugurating the training and development programme for advocates and para-legals belonging to the primitive tribal groups, being organised by the Centre for Practicing Law in collaboration with the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (NIRDPR), on NIRD campus here. She expressed concern over the high rates of infant mortality and maternal mortality among tribals and called for concerted efforts to improve their health and nutritional conditions.

"There is an urgent need to improve the healthcare infrastructure in tribal areas and ensure better access to healthcare services for tribals living in remote habitations," she added. Dr. Tamilisai called for sustained efforts to improve the health, nutritional, social, educational and economic status of tribals.

The programme is the brainchild of the Governor, who wanted special efforts to legally

empower them . She appreciated the initiative of Raja Rajeshwari Thaman, director, Centre for Practicing Law, and the NIRDPR in collaborating for the programme.

NIRDPR director-general Narendra Kumar, Secretary to Governor K. Surendra Mohan, and Raja Rajeshwari also spoke.