For the first time in history, George Jacob Kuwakad, an Indian priest from Kerala, was directly elevated to the rank of Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Francis at an ordination ceremony held in Vatican City on 7 December 2024.
A multi-religious delegation was sent to this auspicious event by the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to represent the pride of the people of India and the common love with the Christian community and I was a Sikh in this delegation.
This was also seen when PM Modi hosted a 2023 Christmas celebration with the Christian community at his residence and participated in a special Easter prayer at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church in New Delhi. Not only that, PM Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister in 20 years to meet Pope Francis at Vatican City and also invited the Holy Leader to visit India.
“Proper Care of Minority Communities”
“Minority Rights Day” is being observed in India on 18th December 2024 to spread awareness about the need to protect the rights of minority communities and therefore Prime Minister Modi for the minority communities with a commitment to the principles of equality, justice and inclusion. It is important to accept proper care.
Be it the decision to bring a law to ban triple talaq for the empowerment of Muslim women, the decision to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to give safe haven to the oppressed minorities or the Kartarpur Sahib after seven decades understanding the sentiments of the Sikhs. Be it the decision to open the corridor, PM Modi’s actions speak louder than words.
The Modi government has ensured the protection of the rights of minorities in India through several policies, laws and decisions over the last decade. A historic step was taken to criminalize the practice of divorce. This act has reduced divorce cases by almost 90 percent in the society.
Economic Empowerment: Economic empowerment is an important part of the fight for the rights of minorities and the Modi government has ensured that no community is left behind by providing equal opportunities for economic development.
The Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (Prime Minister’s Development) Yojana, a centrally sponsored infrastructure assistance scheme, is proving to be a milestone for the socio-economic and educational empowerment of minorities as in just 8 years Skill Hot, Learn and Earn, New Destination , through various skill development and employment oriented programs like New Light, Ustad and Garib Nawaz Self Employment Yojana, more than 21.5 lakh people from minority communities were provided with skill development training and employment opportunities.
The National Minority Development and Finance Corporation has achieved significant credit disbursements reaching a record high of Rs 881.70 crore in FY 2022-23, benefiting over 2.05 lakh beneficiaries. So far, NMDFC 8,300 crore Rs. has distributed over 22.5 lakh beneficiaries, most of whom are women.