International Conference Revitalization Of Vocational: Fill & Download for Free

Very important question.Here is somewhat lengthy answer to it but you will get a treasure of information from this article.“PAKISTAN AND CHINA DIPLOMATIC RELATIONSPakistan and China established diplomatic relations on 21 May 1951.This relationship has[been] built on the strength of its successive achievements, and has become formidable with each passing day and year. The leadership of both countries is committed to taking this relationship forward.To understand the depth of this unique relationship, here is a glimpse of the milestones reached over the years:Milestones / Key Developments:1951 The two countries establish diplomatic relations1955 Visit of Vice President Madam Song Ching Ling to Pakistan1956 Visit of Prime Minister H.S. Suhrawardy to China1963 Visit of Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to China1963 Pakistan and China concludes boundary agreement through peaceful negotiations1964 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) starts its flights to Beijing, becoming the first non-communist country airline to fly from Beijing1965 Agreement on Cultural Cooperation signed1970 Pakistan facilitates first visit by US President Nixon to China, paving way for the first ever US-China official contact1976 Agreement on Scientific and Cultural Cooperation signed1978 The Karakoram Highway, a construction miracle, linking the mountainous Northern Pakistan with Western China officially opens1983 Pakistan and China sign MoU on Educational Exchanges1989 The two countries sign an agreement on Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investments1995 Agreement for Traffic in Transit is signed between the Governments of Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan1995 Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visits China as a special guest to attend the 4th Women’s Conference in Beijing1999 The contract to jointly develop and produce JF-17 was signed2001 Premier Zhu Rongji visits Pakistan on the occasion of 50 years of establishment of Diplomatic Relations2001 China and Pakistan sign agreement on Tourism Cooperation2003 Preferential Trade Agreement is signed between the two countries2005 Bilateral MoU on Cooperation in Information Technology is concluded2005 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits Pakistan2005 “Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Neighborly Relations” is signed between the two countries2006 Chinese President Hu Jintao pays an official visit to Pakistan2006 China and Pakistan sign Free Trade Agreement2008 Pakistan welcomes the Chinese Olympic Torch in Islamabad2010 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits Pakistan2010 JF-17 inducted in Pakistan Air Force2013 Premier Li Keqiang visits Pakistan in May and both sides issue a Joint Statement on Deepening Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation2013 Pakistan and China sign the landmark Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for the Long-term Plan on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor2013 Pakistan awards a contract for construction and operation of Gwadar Port to China2013 Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif visits China and both sides agree to Common Vision for Deepening China-Pakistan Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the New Era2013 Both countries sign Memorandum of Understanding on the Cooperation of Developing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Long-term Plan and Action2014 The governments of Pakistan and China agree on the construction of 27 km Orange Line metro train project in Punjab2015 Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Pakistan. The two sides conclude more than 50 agreements in infrastructure, energy and industrial development2015 The two countries celebrate 2015 as the Year of Friendly Exchanges 2015 – Trade between the two countries reaches US $16 billion2015 Chinese President Xi Jinping undertakes a landmark visit to Pakistan, both countries signed over 50 documents including agreement on CPEC outlining projects worth 46 USD.2016 The two countries 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.2016 China-Pakistan unveils the Long-term Plan of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)2017 Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif attends the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.2018 Prime Minister Imran Khan pays a historic visit China and both sides agree to further strengthen All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and jointly build Closer China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future in the New Era.2018 CPEC enters in its Second Phase2018 Phase-II of China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement was signed2018 Prime Minister Imran Khan attends the First China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.2018 Groundbreaking of Rashakai Special Economic Zone2018 Pakistan launches Remote Sensing Satellite-1 (PRSS-1) from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Centre2019 Groundbreaking of Allama Iqbal Industrial City (M3), Faisalabad Special Economic Zone2019 Prime Minister Imran Khan visits China to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation2019 JWG on International Coordination and Cooperation launched2019 Visit of Chinese Vice President to Pakistan in May2019 The two sides celebrate 2019 as the year of sister-city / province2019 Pakistan hosts the Third China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue in Islamabad2019 Visit of Prime Minister to China in October2019 CPEC Authority has been set-up to coordinate and monitor progress on CPEC Projects2019 A CPEC Cell was alsoestablished in the Prime Minister’s Office2019 9th JCC took place in Islamabad in November2020 CPFTA-II became operational from 1st January2020 Extensive bilateral coordination in the wake of the Corona Virus pandemic2020 Visit of the President to China in March2020 MOUs signed including MOU to establish JWGs on Science & Technology and Agricultural CooperationPakistan and China enjoy close and friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations in May 1951. Pakistan was one of the first countries that recognized the People’s Republic of China. Over the years, the relationship has blossomed into an “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”. Pakistan considers China as one of its closest friend and partner and China considers Pakistan as its “Iron Brother”.The bilateral relationship between the two neighboring countries is characterized by feelings of mutual trust, respect and goodwill towards each other. There is a regular exchange of visits at the highest level between the two countries. The strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China has grown over the past several decades.Economically, China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major investor, especially in infrastructure and energy sector. During 2018, bilateral trade between the two countries reached US$ 18 billion. With the official launch of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the bilateral relationship has been elevated to a higher level. CPEC is a flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s initiative of “One Road and One Belt”. It aims at enhancing connectivity and improving infrastructure between Pakistan and China. Several projects are being implemented under CPEC, for enhancement of infrastructure and generation of energy. People-to-people contacts are an important aspect of the bilateral relationship. The year of 2015 was celebrated as the Year of Friendly Exchanges between Pakistan and China and several high profile events were organized including seminars, exchange of visits and cultural events to highlight people-to-people interactions.High Level Visits:High Level visits are the hallmark of China-Pakistan bilateral relations.President’s Visit to China (16-17 March 2020):At the invitation of H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Dr. Arif Alvi, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, visited China from 16-17 March 2020. The President was accompanied by the Foreign Minister, Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives, and senior officials. During the visit, the President met with President Xi Jinping. Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman National People’s Congress, Li Zhanshu, also met President Dr. Arif Alvi.His maiden visit to Beijing was a singular expression of Pakistan’s solidarity with its “iron brother.” The visit was undertaken at a time while China was engaged in a massive national struggle to contain the Covid-19. Leaders of the two countries took the opportunity to exchange views on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. Both leaders witnessed signing of various Agreements/MoUs during the visit. At the conclusion of the visit, a Joint statement was also issued.Prime Minister’s Visit to China (7-9 October 2019):Prime Minister Imran Khan visited China from 7-9 October 2019 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. During the visit, the Prime Minister met with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman NPC Li Zhanshu. The Prime Minister was a Chief Guest at the Beijing International Horticulture Expo-2019 along-with Premier Li Keqiang. In addition, the Prime Minister also met with CEOs/Heads of leading Chinese enterprises. Both sides signed a number of MoUs/Agreements. It was Prime Minister Imran Khan’s third visit to China since assuming office in August 2018.Chinese Vice President’s Visit to Pakistan (26-28 May 2019):Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan visited Pakistan from 26-28 May 2019. He called on the President and held bilateral talks with the Prime Minister. During the visit, the Nishan-e-Pakistan was conferred upon the Vice President in a special investiture ceremony. Moreover, several MoUs and projects were signed and inaugurated. The Vice President also visited Lahore, where he met with Chief Minister Punjab and Governor Punjab. The Vice President also toured Pakistan’s cultural sites, including Taxila Museum, Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque.Prime Minister’s Visit to China (25-28 April 2019):The Prime Minister visited China from 25-28 April 2019 to participate in the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. He delivered a speech at the Opening Ceremony of BRF on 26 April and participated in the Leaders Roundtable on 27 April. During the visit, the Prime Minister held meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in which the entire range of bilateral relationship, including implementation of Phase-II of CPEC, was discussed. Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. Both sides also discussed important regional and international issues, including peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and peace and stability in South Asia, and agreed to deepen cooperation at the multilateral fora. The Prime Minister attended a Pakistan Business and Investment Forum attended by leading businessmen of Pakistan and China. 14 B2B agreements were also signed. He also attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing International Horticulture Exhibition. During the visit, 7 new MoUs were signed on a range of bilateral issues, including the Second Phase of Pakistan-China FTA, Completion of Preliminary Design of ML-1, Rashakai SEZ Joint Venture, Socio-Economic Cooperation, Economic and Technical Cooperation and Cooperation in Marine Sciences.Prime Minister’s Visit to China (2-5 November 2018):Prime Minister Imran Khan had paid his first official visit to China on 2-5 November 2018. In Beijing, he had met with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, Chairman Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), Li Zhanshu and Vice President Wang Qishan. He had also met with Minister of International Department of the CPC Central Committee, Song Tao, Chairman of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and had interactions with leading corporate leaders of China. In Shanghai, the Prime Minister had attended the opening ceremony of the 1st China International Import Expo (CIIE).The two sides reached a number of important understandings and long-term consensus, reiterated strong commitment to bilateral relations and the leaders developed good rapport for future cooperation. During the visit, two sides had signed fifteen (15) agreements/MoUs on a range of bilateral issues, including transfer of sentenced persons, poverty reduction, agriculture, socio-economic development, and cooperation in combating illicit traffic in drugs.Other Visits:Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid an official visit to Zhengzhou from 14-15 December 2015, to participate in the SCO Summit. During the visit, he met with Premier Li Keqiang. President Mamnoon Hussain visited Wuzhen from 16-18 December 2015, to participate in the 2nd World Internet Conference. During the visit he met with President Xi Jinping on 16 December.On the invitation of Chinese leadership, President Mamnoon Hussain paid an official visit to China from 1-4 September, 2015, to participate in the commemoration ceremony of the 70th Anniversary of China’s victory in World War II. During the visit, delegation level talks were held with President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a historic State visit to Pakistan from 20-21 April 2015. During the visit, it was agreed to intensify cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. China pledged to invest US$46 billion in Pakistan’s energy and infrastructure sectors in Pakistan. President Xi was also awarded Pakistan’s highest civil award of ‘Nishan-e- Pakistan’ during the visit.On the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif paid an official visit to Beijing from 7-8 November 2014 to participate in the “Dialogue on Strengthening Connectivity Partnership” during the 22nd APEC Summit. Prime Minister Sharif endorsed President Xi’s vision on regional connectivity and infrastructure development, stressing that Asia would need to strengthen both to excel in international arena.President Mamnoon Hussain visited Shanghai from 19-22 May 2014, to attend the 4th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). Pakistan’s participation in the CICA Summit at the highest political level sealed its endorsement of the vision of Asian collective security based on cooperation and dialogue.President Mamnoon Hussain paid an official visit to China from 18-21 February 2014. The second Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting on Economic Corridor Project (ECP) was held on the sidelines of the President’s visit.Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif paid an official visit to China from 3-8 July 2013. This was Prime Minister’s first overseas visit after assuming office in June 2013. During the visit, the two sides concluded the MoU on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.Premier Li Keqiang paid an official visit to Pakistan from 22-23 May 2013. It was the first visit of Premier Li Keqiang abroad after assuming office.Other High Level Visits:From Pakistan side, the other recent high-level exchanges include the meeting of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi with State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, in August 2019 and on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in May 2019. Earlier, the Foreign Minister had met with Wang Yi when he visited Beijing in March 2019 for the first session of Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue and later when he was in Beijing for the 2nd Belt and Road Forum in April 2019. The Foreign Minister also participated in Political Parties’ Dialogue between PTI and CPC and Political Parties Forum on CPEC. He also met Vice President Wang Qishan and Minister for IDCPC, Mr. Song Tao. Foreign Minister had earlier visited Beijing on 25 December 2018.Former Foreign Secretary visited China on 8-11 April 2019 to formally launch the JWG on International Cooperation. The Foreign Secretary also met with Vice Minister Le Yucheng and Mr. Yang Jiechi, Director Foreign Affairs Commission of CPC. Bilateral ties between the two countries; Prime Minister’s visit to China for 2nd Belt and Road Forum (25-28 April 2019); current regional situation; and cooperation at multilateral fora were discussed during the visit.The Deputy Chairman Senate, Saleem Mandviwalla, visited China from 17-19 April 2019 and held meetings with Shanghai Media Group, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee, Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce, East China Central Factory of Bright Dairy. Previously, Chairman Senate visited China from 16-20 August 2018. Former President Mamnoon Hussain had visited China to attend the SCO Heads of State Summit in Qingdao in June 2018. Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi participated in the Boao Forum for Asia held on 8-11 April 2018.From Chinese side, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pakistan in September 2019 to attend the Third China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers Dialogue in Islamabad. Vice Chairman CMC Gen. Xu Qiliang visited Pakistan recently.Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou visited Pakistan on 6 March 2019. He discussed the regional situation with the Foreign Secretary and also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chief of the Army Staff. Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou had earlier visited Pakistan to attend the first round of reconstituted Political Consultations between Pakistan and China on 10 December 2018.The other high level visits from China included those of Mr. Gao Yunlong, Vice-Chairman Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) (13-16 February, 2019); visit of Mr. Zhang Chunxian, Vice Chairman of Standing Committee of National People’s Congress (NPC) in November 2018; visit of Mr. Song Tao, Minister for International Department of Communist Party of China (CPC) on 13-16 October; State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit (6-9 September); and visit of General Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of Central Military Commission of China in May 2018.Consultation Mechanisms:Pakistan and China have several Consultations mechanisms including Strategic Dialogue at Foreign Ministers’ level, Political Consultations at Foreign Secretary/Vice-Minister level; consultations on South Asia, Arms Control, Counter-terrorism; Human Rights; Peacekeeping; Maritime Dialogue; Border management consultations, and Consular affairs.Defence Cooperation:Pakistan-China Defence collaboration forms the backbone of the relationship. The cooperation spans high-level military exchanges, structured defence and security talks, joint exercises, training of personnel in each other’s institutions, joint defence production and defence trade. The militaries of the two countries have institutionalized three tiers of bilateral consultations to enable close cooperation at all levels. There is an extensive range of cooperation, including joint ventures, for the production of military equipment, aircraft, submarines and tanks. China is also the recipient of the largest number of military training officials from Pakistan.Economic & Trade Relations:China is currently Pakistan’s largest single trading partner; while Pakistan is China’s second largest trading partner in South Asia. Major imports from China include machinery and mechanical appliances, metals, chemical products, mineral ores, plastic scrap and transport equipment. Main exports include cotton yarn, cotton fabric, rice, leather and fish products.In recent years, the bilateral trade volume between China and Pakistan has increased rapidly with stable commodity structure. However, despite robust investment from China, bilateral trade remains anemic. China’s imports from Pakistan reflect a downward trend whereas China’s exports to Pakistan are on an upward trajectory. Bilateral trade, which stood at US$ 1.3 billion in 2002, reached US$ 19.08 billion in 2018. Imports from China stood at US$ 12.7 billion and exports from Pakistan to China at US$ 1.85 billion in 2019.To enhance bilateral trade volume, the two countries signed the 2nd Phase of China Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) during the Prime Minister’s visit in April 2019. CPFTA-II became operational from 1st January 2020. It would ensure provision of level-playing field in terms of concessions vis-à-vis other competitors; robust safeguard measures for protection of domestic industry; improved tariff reduction modality; higher liberalized import value from China and lesser import value for Pakistan and attracting FDI into SEZs.Investment:According to the State Bank of Pakistan Annual Report 2018, during FY 2018, China was the biggest investor in Pakistan with an investment of US$ 1.591 billion out of a total of US$ 2.537 billion which amounts to 63% of total FDI. With the initiation of CPEC, there has been an upsurge in investment flows into Pakistan especially in infrastructure and energy sectors.China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC):Pakistan and China have constituted a Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) to implement CPEC. The JCC is co-chaired by Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform and Vice-Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission. It is supported by 8 Joint Working Groups covering the various areas of cooperation as including: (i) Energy, (ii) Transport Infrastructure, (iii) Gwadar, (iv) industrial cooperation, (v) Planning & Finance, (vi) Security, (vii) Socio-Economic Development, and (viii) International Cooperation. Two new JWGs have been added. The ninth and tenth JWGs on Science & Technology and Agriculture have been established in March 2020 during the visit of the President to China.Nine JCC meetings have been held to date, with the last one taking place on 5 November, 2019 in Islamabad. Next meeting of the JCC is scheduled to be held in China in 2020.Current Status of CPEC Projects:The detailed progress of CPEC Projects may be seen at China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Official Website. The highlights achievements are as follows;Energy Cooperation:As of September 2019, 12 power projects have either been completed or were under construction. The total installed capacity of these projects was 7,240 MW with total investment of about 12.4 US billion dollars. In addition, 9 projects stand at early stage (some are constructed by phases, with a total installed capacity of 6390 MW).As of fiscal year 2018-19, COD CPEC energy projects had generated $250 million in tax revenue for Pakistan and provided over 10,000 jobs. They now accounted for 14.5% of available energy in the NTDC grid.The JCC welcomed significant positive momentum in resolving the issue of delayed tariff payments and agreed to promote the introduction of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) technology in Pakistan.It was also agreed to continue consultations and finalize the Pakistan-China Development Plan for oil and gas sector. Pakistan side proposed these projects for consideration by the Chinese side, i.e. (a) Finalization of feasibility study on South North Gas Pipeline; (b) Up-gradation of Pakistan Refinery Ltd. Karachi; (c) Coal-to-Liquid Engineering Plant based in Thar Coal at Thar Sindh, and (d) Thar Block-VI for Coal gasification to Fertilizer projects.Transportation and Infrastructure Cooperation:The 392 kilometer-long Multan-Sukkur section of the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway was completed ahead of schedule and inaugurated at the JCC.Work on upgrading the Karakoram Highway’s Havelian-Thakot section was also on track for timely completion. Its Havelian-Mansehra section would be opened to traffic in the near term.In Gwadar, work on the redesigned Eastbay Expressway and the New Gwadar International Airport was proceeding according to timelines.Various issues regarding Orange Line Mass Transit project in Lahore had been resolved (the project is to be operational from March 2020).Both sides agreed to expedite the design review and feasibility approval of the Main Line (ML)-I Peshawar-Karachi railway project and agreed to constitute financing committees. Possibility of RMB financing would also be explored.It was agreed that Pakistan would submit financing request for Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) for further deliberation. Both sides also agreed to consider Quetta Mass-transit and greater Peshawar Mass-transit project in the next JWG Meeting after approval of their PC-1s.Gwadar:Gwadar was considered as an entry point for transshipment to Afghanistan.Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan was endorsed by JCC.The 300 MW coal-fired power plant was launched, and its preparatory work would be expedited.China would dispatch expert’s teams for the early implementation of a 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD) desalination plant.Detailed planning was being undertaken for the further development of Gwadar’s Free Zone which had already been granted considerable concessions.A medical college and nursing school would be considered for Phase I of the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) hospital project.Industrial Cooperation:The JCC reviewed progress on three SEZ’s namely Rashakai, Dhabeji, and Allama Iqbal. The importance for supporting infrastructure, targeted incentives for investors and a “one-window” facility was reaffirmed.The first round of business diagnosis for Pakistani’s textiles sector was undertaken and its findings on enhancing industrial productivity and overall competitiveness were presented. It was agreed to expand and deepen the business-diagnosis mechanism to other industrial subsectors.It was agreed to activate the Pakistan-China Business Council to give full play to the private sectors of both countries. The Council would comprise senior executives from leading enterprises.The JCC agreed to support revitalization of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM)A comprehensive incentives package for investors was in the final stages of preparation by Pakistan and would be unveiled at the earliest.Socioeconomic Development and Agriculture:Out of 17 fast-track socioeconomic development projects, 12 were ready for commencement, while the remaining five projects would also be expedited.Special emphasis was placed on early launch of Pakistan-China joint agricultural technology laboratory.Both sides would also enhance cooperation in agricultural areas including deep processing technology, fisheries, and disease-free zones.Both sides also agreed to accelerate the procedures for: (a) Balochistan Solar Power Lighting Equipment; (b) Drinking Water Equipment Supply (Solar powered pumps in KP and Water filtration plants in AJK); (c) Smart Classroom Project for Higher Education; (d) Provision of Medical Equipment and Material and (e) Pakistan Vocational School’s Equipment Up-grading and Renovation Project.”Source: http://mofa.gov.pk/pakistan-and-china-diplomatic-relations/Hope it would suffice!

About the FoundationThe Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) was set up on June 21, 1991, to realize the vision of Shri Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. Shri Gandhi dreamt of a modern India, secular, and progressive; a country that enshrines the democratic principle of equality and blends progress with rich cultural traditions. He imagined a country with an educated people free of prejudice; where women participate as equals; a nation with the space and will to empower all citizens, and especially the underprivileged.From 1991 to 2009, the Foundation worked on a number of critical issues, including health, literacy, science and technology, women’s and children’s development, disability support, Panchayati Raj institutions, natural resource management, and libraries. In 2010, the Foundation decided to focus on education going forward. In addition, the Foundation has been continuing key flagship programmes including INTERACT (providing educational support to children impacted by conflict), the Rajiv Gandhi Access to Opportunities programme (enhancing mobility of physically challenged youth), the Rajiv Gandhi Cambridge Scholarship programme (providing financial assistance to bright Indian students to study at Cambridge), Natural Resource Management (supporting Gram Gaurav) and Wonderoom (an innovative children’s library).The Foundation is chaired by Smt. Sonia Gandhi. The other trustees include Dr Manmohan Singh, Shri P. Chidambaram, Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Shri Suman Dubey, Shri Rahul Gandhi, Dr Sekhar Raha, Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Dr Ashok Ganguly, Shri Sanjiv Goenka and Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.his works1991-1992Rajiv Gandhi Foundation formed on 21st June 1991.Five key areas of work decided:LiteracyPromotion of science & technologyEmpowerment of the underprivileged and handicappedPromotion of excellence in aviationEstablishment of a think tank—RGICS was formed in August 1991; one of its first projects was to examine the feasibility of nyaya panchayats.Office set up at Jawahar Bhawan, New Delhi.Rajiv Gandhi award of Rs 50,000 to two awardees at a debate competition at the National Law School of India, University of Bangalore. Topic of debate: intellectual property rights in the US and in IndiaOne-day seminars organised with the help of NGOs in Bombay, Madras, Calcutta and New Delhi on November 17 and 18, 1991. Aids like wheelchairs, crutches and hearing aids worth Rs 1 lakh distributed to disabled children at each of these seminars.Literacy cell formed in January 1991; one-day seminar organised on March 7, 1992; started developing reading material for newly literate adults and to evolve a literacy programme.Collaboration with Trees for Life to distribute fruit samplings and seeds for cultivation to rural households in many parts of India.Relief to Uttarkashi earthquake victims: relief material worth Rs 5.56 lakhs donated to 100 households in the Budha Kedar block and Jatholi block.Lifeline Express developed as a concept of a hospital on a train, with stops at rural areas providing free medical care. In collaboration with the Impact India Foundation, a halt of the Lifeline Express organised in Amethi. The concept was of a hospital in a train.Cultural and awareness programmes: Two music festivals organised in Delhi in January 1992 and in Madras in March 1992.1992-1993Books for neo-literates: The President of India, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma released one Hindi, two Urdu and one Telugu book from the Rajiv Gandhi Pustakmala series, which aims to develop appropriate material for neo-literates.Developed prototype of earthquake-proof homes conceptualized by the University of Roorkee.Rajiv Gandhi trophy for safest flier at Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, in April–May 1992, awarded to Ms Noriko Yamao of Japan.Rs 4.5 lakhs allocated for the HRIDAY scheme in collaboration with AIIMS.Five-day mobile dental camp organised to cover five tehsils of Amethi constituency in August 1992, which benefitted 1,867 patients.Rajiv Gandhi Walkathon, a run from India Gate, organised on August 20, 1992; more than 3,500 children participated.Scheme launched to provide motorized tricycles for the handicapped.Relief to riot victims in Bombay, Calcutta, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Munger and Kanpur where tarpaulins, blankets, medicines and cooking utensils were distributed; the Foundation also provided Rs 10 lakhs for emergency relief to victims of riots in Bombay.Special project for children of victims of terrorist violence set up with an initial contribution of Rs 25 lakhs.First Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Lecture on May 23, 1992.Rajiv Gandhi (UK) Foundation founded on February 24, 1993, in London.Various events and music festivals organised in Delhi and Bombay for fund raising; Rs 4 lakhs collected from these events donated towards relief to riot victims.Mr. Robert S. McNamara – Former World Bank President speaking at the First Rajiv Gandhi Memorial lecture on May 23, 1992RGF Started a Project to Develop Prototype of an Earthquake Proof Home1993-1994Interact (Initiative to Educate, Rehabilitate and Assist Child Victims of Terrorism) was promoted extensively, reaching out to over 150 children from the states of Assam, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. In addition to the Rs 25 lakhs corpus, another Rs 2.9 lakhs were contributed by Smt. Sonia Gandhi for Interact. The Foundation also launched a Sponsor a Child programme under Interact, the cost of one year’s costs for a child’s education being Rs 10,000, and of supporting one child continuously Rs 60,000.43 rural libraries set up by March 1994; nine new books released in the Rajiv Gandhi Pustakmala series.Health Projects :Lifeline Express sponsored in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.HRIDAY launched in June 1992 in collaboration with AIIMSl reached out to 47 schools in Delhi and its suburbsTB mobile vanAIDS awareness programmeWelfare programmes for the disabled:Distribution of motorised tri-wheelers to talented persons with an orthopaedic handicapProjects on disability awareness in West Bengal and MizoramRehabilitation unit at Akshay Pratishthan, New DelhiOpening of a Braille library at Rae BareillyPresentation of a Swaraj Mazda to Amar Jyoti School, New DelhiSeminar on multiple disabilities in December 1993 at MadrasSeven-day painting exhibition by disabled children to commemorate the 49th birth anniversary of Shri Rajiv Gandhi in New DelhiTask force on Panchayati Raj organised various workshops for panchayat development in Patna, Madras and Lucknow.Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Lecture on May 1 and 2, 1993, in New Delhi.Integration Through ArtRajiv Gandhi WalkathoneRajiv Gandhi Memorial Initiative for the Advancement of Human Civilisation© 2017 Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |1994-1995Task force on Panchayati RajFive meetings held to take stock of the situation relating to enactment of new acts or amendments of the existing state acts for panchayats.Regional workshop on traditional self-governing institutions for north-eastern regions held in Guwahati.A Charter for the Panchayats’ finalised and released on the 50th birth anniversary of the late Shri Rajiv Gandhi.1995-1996Programmes for women and children:INTERACT initiated with Rs 25 lakhs donation from Smt. Sonia Gandhi.Project REACHAid to Bhopal gas tragedy victimsTraining package for preventive work with children of alcoholicsTraining for tribal womenHealth Programmes:Mobile TB clinicRajiv Gandhi primary healthcare projectRajiv Gandhi Foundation’s crusade against AIDSLifeline Express projectProgrammes for the welfare of disabled people:Motorised tri-wheeler scheme gave away 10 vehicles to physically challenged peopleNational Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled PeopleHand-rickshaw puller project in MussoorieScience and technology for development:Development of barefoot technicians for livestock managementMobile veterinary clinicsThe RGF Amateur ClubRajiv Gandhi Biomass Energy Project for a sustainable irrigation system for rural developmentDesign and technology project initiated to initiate young studentsProgrammes for literacy:Mobile libraries and books for neo-literatesRajiv Gandhi Initiative for Elementary Education and Empowerment of the Girl ChildEducation encouraged among tribal girls of Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir.Seminars and lectures:Prof. Manmohan Singh, former Finance Minister of India, delivered a lecture on “Economic Reforms: The Task Ahead” in 1995Shri P.A. Sangma, former Minister of Information and Broadcasting, delivered a lecture on “Reforms in Labour sector and Employment Situation” in 1995.The Foundation also organised seminars, discussion meetings and conferences during the year on mental health, tribal matters, and equity in global society.Publications during the year included ‘The Future of the World Bank’, ‘Democracy and Human Rights’, ‘Technology Missions’, and ‘Hindu Muslim Riots 1960–93’.Distribution of Tri Wheeler by Sonia GandhiSpastic Children Working on the Computer at Chennai CentreAnnual Rajiv Gandhi Ham Radio Award CeremonyMobile TB Van at Work in Kangra HP© 2017 Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Privac1996-1997Health Programmes:Workshops for generating awareness against AIDS; mobile aids counsellingHealth for All: community-based primary healthcare models implemented in 32 villages in four blocks of Amethi tehsilThe Foundation provided over 100 cycle rickshaws to remove hand-pulled rickshaws from Mussoorie; in view of the fact that most rickshaw pullers were already suffering from TB and other diseases, the Foundation organised a health coverage scheme funding medicines for identified TB victimsPrimary healthcare project launched in 1995 in Allahabad district to provide healthcare delivery through Swasthya Sakhi Yojna, using Ayurvedic and herbal medicinesAnnual dental camps in Uttar PradeshThe Foundation mobile TB van working in Himachal Pradesh since 1993Lifeline Express expanded to eight states, covering 12 camps; relief to over 55,000 peopleLiteracy Programmes:Village library project begun in 1993 grew to cover more than 550 village libraries in 10 statesMobile libraries in four states rendering services to about 1.2 lakh readers.Project EDGE (Educating Girls for Empowerment) implemented in Yakutpura slum in Hyderabad; 300 girls aged between 6 and 18 years taught in these educational centresEducation for 200 tribal girls in remote areas of Udaipur, RajasthanRajiv Gandhi Initiative for Elementary Education (RGIEE) launched in Madhya Pradesh: (1) 10 schools in Sehore district started; 300 students enrolled; (2) 20 alternative schools set up in urban slums of Bhopal and Sehore; (3) assessment of teachers empowerment projectThree more additions to Rajiv Gandhi Pustakmala seriesWomen and Child development:The Foundation sponsored one year’s training in embroidery skills and loin loom weaving to around 120 women in Manipur to enhance employment opportunities for victims of brutal ethnic violenceVocational training for distressed women in Aizawl, Mizoram, with about 180 women trained to type, tailor and knit; their products marketed and profits distributed among membersREACH (Rehabilitation, Education and Assistance for Children on the Street) project in IndoreProject Self to develop entrepreneurship among street children in DelhiBanjara Art and Development Centre in earthquake-hit Latur area.Disabled assistance:Computer training for speech- and hearing-impaired persons in DelhiCentre for disabled children of service personnel in Udhampur, Jammu and KashmirSupport for disabled students using specially designed software in Project CATERED.Supported service centre for the mentally handicapped in BhubaneswarNational Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People set up in New Delhi; the Foundation provided support to the organisation for the initial two yearsScience and technology:Initiative for development of barefoot technicians trained to treat and vaccinate livestock and poultry in villages in Maharashtra, Tamil Madu, Odisha and AssamRs 14 lakhs donated to Doon School to establish a centre for design and technologyOthers:Rajiv Gandhi travelling scholarships in collaboration with the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust for 30 undergraduate and graduate students from various British universitiesRajiv Gandhi Archives: Data bank on Rajiv Gandhi1997-1998Education:Alternative elementary education project launched in Amethi in collaboration with NGO DeviProject EDGE, which seeks to empower marginalised, slum-dwelling girl children in Yakutpura, HyderabadBasic education provided to 200 tribal girls aged between 6 and 14 years in Udaipur district of Rajasthan, in association with NGOs Apna Sansthan and Prayatna SamitiVillage library project expanded to cover new districts in Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand); slum libraries initiated to cater to neo-literatesTo ensure that books reach a large number of people, vans provided to NGOs in Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh; these mobile libraries gave access to books to roughly 1.2 million peopleRural authors were encouraged to write and publish their work under the Rajiv Gandhi Pustakmala seriesThe Foundation and IGNOU signed an MoU to extend distance education programmes for higher education to Seychellois studentsWelfare and empowerment of women and children:In continuation of Project INTERACT, many children came to commemorate 50 years of independence; they participated in sightseeing, games and personality development sessionsAs part of Project REACH, a third night shelter was openedIn collaboration with Sri Aurobindo Anusilan Society, tribal women from West Bengal and Bihar were trained in the production of vermicompostProgrammes for disabled People:The Foundation collaborated with NIIT and the Spastic Society of Tamil Nadu (SPASTN) for Phase 2 of Project CATERED; the software ‘I Write Plus: An Interactive Learning Environment for the Disabled’ was tested at SPASTNProject Lifeline Express was run in collaboration with the Impact India Foundation, with three restructured railway coaches accommodating an OT, a sterilisation room, a diagnostic centre and a 12-bed post-operative unitTri-wheelers were given to 30 orthopedically disabled peopleAn Indo-Japanese symposium on Employement Opportunities for People with Disabilities was organised to facilitate exchange of knowledge on vocational rehabilitation of disabled peopleThe Foundation assisted the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) in the establishment of an Unit for Disabled Children of Service Personnel at the ASHA Centre, Udhampur, Jammu and KashmirThe Foundation assisted The Chetna Institute for the Mentally Handicapped in setting up a service centre for the mentally retarded in OdishaScience and technology:Rajiv Gandhi Initiative for Development of Barefoot Technicians (BFT) aims at making people capable of vaccinating livestock and poultry, advising farmers on the breeding and feed management of their animalsThe RGF Amateur Radio Club continued with its training courses for ham radioThe Delhi Environment Action Network (DEAN) programme assessed environmental quality in Delhi and conducted awareness campaigns to improve the environmentThe Foundation Biomass Project for Rural Areas was taken into its final phase ,which was marked by the installation of tubewells, water pumps, sprinklers and pipelinesHealth-related activitiesThe first ever training programme on HIV/AIDS in India was organised for private medical practitionersMobile AIDS counselling services provided medical, social and psychological support to HIV patientsAnother unit of the Rajiv Gandhi Home Cancer Care Services was launched, as part of which specialists visited patients on a regular basisA model was designed to operae a community-based primary healthcare model to achieve “Health for All”. A seven-day training-cum-orientation workshop was organised for 51 Rural Health Communicators and an extended communication campaign was also launchedMedical cover was provided to rickshaw pullers and their families, most of whom were suffering from TBOther activities:The Foundation collaborated with the Shantiniketan chapter of INTACH for the restoration of the Jorbangla Temple of ItondaRajiv Gandhi Chair on Panchayati Raj in Gandhigram Rural Institute in Tamil Nadu addressed research projects and brought out a number of publications on the distribution and function of powers in the Panchayati Raj systemRajiv Gandhi scholarships and bursaries were awardedRajiv Gandhi Travelling Scholarship were provided to 20 students from the UK for broader academic purposesStarted in North-Eastern Regional Centre of ACSSR, the Rajiv Gandhi Annual Lecture Series featured eminent Indians and foreigners speaking to students in the regionMedia-related activities:The ninth meeting of the RGF Board of Trustees was held on March 19, 1998. Dr Manmohan Singh, Dr Y.K. Alagh and Smt. Mohini Giri were welcomes as new trustees.200 photographs taken by Shri Rajiv Gandhi were exhibited at the Lalit Kala Akademi Gallery from October 20 to November 4, 1997.President Shri K.R. Narayanan was presented with the four-volume publication Rajiv Gandhi’s India, which covers the years of Rajiv Gandhi’s prime ministershipStrengthening the Panchayati Raj system:The task force organised 19 sub-regional workshops and one regional workshopThe task force produced two publications: ‘The Revitalization of Panchayati Raj in India’ and ‘Voices from Below—A Summary of the Proceedings of Sub-Regional Workshops: Issues and Recommendations’.A national seminar on panchayats was organised, which had 80 participants from across the country2000-2001Literacy:148 new libraries have been set upThree book banks with over 5,000 books establishedFour cyber centres were set upAn ‘Authors and Illustrators’ workshop was heldAdolescent girls were trained in machine embroidery as part of Project IMAGEHealth:The Foundation supported a special clinic set up by the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical College, Mumbai, that diagnoses and provides educational remediation to children with disabilityThe 25th RGF Lifeline Express camp was organisedYoung people with orthopaedic disability and mild intellectual impairment were trained in sophisticated methods of modern horticultureAn Autism Awareness Programme was initiatedWomen and child development:100 children were supported as part of Project INTERACTA programme was run that trained women to design and diversify to suit the market outside MajauliScholarships were awarded to encourage women to join the aviation sectorTwo programmes were implemented that encouraged people to adopt ferro-cement tanks for harvesting water; groups of women were responsible for managing the tanks and distributing waterScience and technology:An open classroom system was evolved for fishermen to facilitate two-way transfer of knowledge through group discussions208 Barefoot Technicians were trained across different states of IndiaThe Foundation set up a community irrigation system that uses biomass energyRGICS:Research papers were put on the Foundation website for reviewEight seminars and presentations were held, the main highlight being a lecture on ‘Indo–US Relations: Building a Dynamic Partnership for the 21st Century’ by Richard F. Celeste2001-2002Natural resource management:A ‘pani padyatra’ was organised in the Bikaner tehsil from January 16 to 24, 2002.Literacy:36 new libraries were established in four statesHealth:A new initiative was launched in association with the Delhi State AIDS Control Society, covering two high-risk areas of Delhi—G.B. Road and Rewla KhanpurDisabled persons welfare:A consultation meeting was organised by the Foundation in collaboration with the Council of Architecture and the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for the Disabled to develop a blueprint for a barrier-free DelhiWomen and child development:The Foundation collaborated with Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada, to develop distance-learning material for NGO staff working with street childrenThe Foundation worked in the Rohini area of Delhi to spread awareness on sanitationPanchayati Raj:A special gender-focused training module was prepared for tribal woman sarpanches in the tribal districts of Dungarpur and Banskhera in RajasthanA national workshop was held in Mussoorie in collaboration with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, which focused on training programmes for Panchayati Raj institutions and pilot testing of training modulesConference on terrorism:A high-level conference was organised to discuss the implications of the United States’ war on terrorism for South Asia, particularly KashmirRGICS:Research papers were published in RGICS’ International Economic Relations seriesThe fourth Dr Mahbub ul Haq Inter-school Debate was organised in collaboration with the UNDP to mark International Poverty WeekAwardees lined up for the motorized tri wheeler distributionChairperson meeting Cambridge ScholarsHealth for all program in AmethiSome Members of Green Corps on an Orientation Visit to RGF in March 2002© 2017 Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Site2002-2003Women and child development:A pilot project of psychological support was started in Budgam district of KashmirThe Foundation helped NGO Karm Marg develop a new product line in wood and ironThe GINGER Project was launched in Imphal to train disadvantaged women in processing organic products as a source of livelihoodNatural resource management:35 sites were identified for construction of water-harvesting structures; work was started in 33 and completed in 31Health:A project was launched in Delhi in partnership with FICCI-SEDF to raise awareness about HIV AIDSDisabled persons welfare:Hearing aids were distributed among children of the age group 6–16 years.Memorial lectures, conferences and other events:On April 3, 2002, the Foundation welcomed Indonesian president Megawati Soekarnoputri, who delivered the Sixth Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Lecture on ‘Rediscovering the Asian Identity’The Foundation welcomed Nobel Laureate Prof. Ahmed H. Zewail to deliver the Ninth Rajiv Gandhi Science and Technology lecture on October 17, 2002To mark the 85th birth anniversary of the Smt. Indira Gandhi, the Foundation held an exhibition of M.F. Hussain’s paintings of herProf. Norman Myers delivered the Fourth Rajiv Gandhi Environment Lecture on March 21, 20032003-2004Disabled persons welfare:The Foundation published the document ‘Accessible Delhi—A Road Map, 2003–2008’, which was taken up for implementation by the Delhi governmentRevival of Lifeline Express (hospital on rails): camps held in Chhattisgarh and Uttar PradeshOn the 59th birth anniversary of Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Smt. Sonia Gandhi presented Kinetic Honda ZX scooters to 30 individuals, 15 of whom were womenHubert Ebner (India) Pvt. Ltd. in association with Indian Road Traffic Education (IRTE) conducted a workshop on safe driving for the disabledA mobile van was donated to the National Association for the Blind (NAB)Braillers were distributed to four institutions in Delhi working for the visually impairedTwo legal literacy workshops were held in the auditorium-coach of the Lifeline ExpressWomen and child development:The Foundation provided financial aid to the Dr A.V. Baliga Memorial Trust, which provides training in arts and crafts and runs basic literacy classes for women ragpickersThe Foundation extended support to the NGO Concern for Humanity to provide functional literacy and tailoring skills to migrant womenNatural resource management:In the first year of the Green Corps project in Karnataka, two residential and two regular field training sessions were organised for 15 volunteers in BidarIn Karoli and Pali districts of Rajasthan, 16 water-harvesting structures were completedHealth:Folk arts such as nautanki, qawwali and puppet shows were used to spread awareness on AIDSPanchayati Raj:The task force organised an interactive workshop from January 10 to 12, 2004, to assess the training needs of elected women PRI membersScience and technology:A two-year pilot project was launched in Dehradun to develop and promote very small enterprises in the aromatic plants sector to enable small farmers to market aromatic essential oilsConferences on international affairs:A roundtable conference on ‘National Reconstruction in Iraq: What Could India Contribute?’ was held at the FoundationA roundtable conference on ‘India and China: Global and Regional Perspectives’ was held in collaboration with the Institute for Chinese Studies2004-2005Women and child development:Response to disaster:Support for tsunami orphans: 118 tribal children were identified for support; the Foundation drew up plans to train about 250 psychological carers whose services were available to various communitiesChild development programmes under project INTERACT:The project sought to rebuild the lives of children who lost one or both parents in acts of terrorismThe Foundation extended help for the professional education of children who excelled at schoolThe Child Counselling and Guidance Centre, Srinagar, provided psychiatric care to children in a friendly and positive environmentWorkshops for INTERACT children were organised using theatre, music and folk art with counselling, life skills and leadership trainingSupport for children affected by riots: 56 children orphaned during communal riots in Gujarat in 2002 were supportedProject REACH (Rehabilitation, Education, and Assistance to Children on the Streets): the Foundation supports three NGOs working towards the protection of street children, namely, Aarambh in Indore, Nitya Seva in Bhopal and Karm Marg in FaridabadWomen’s development programmes:Income generation programme for women in Bokaro, Jharkhand.Ginger processing in Imphal, ManipurDeveloping skills of economically deprived women in slums of DelhiProject Jagriti was initiated in order to combat violence faced by womenEmpowering women and adolescent girls through skill developmentEmpowering women through self-help groups like Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas PariyojnaThe Foundation has been providing scholarships to meritorious women undergoing training at Indra Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi (IGRUA)Community development programmes:Psychological support programmes in Jammu & KashmirProject CARAVAN aimed at empowering disadvantaged communities through knowledge and information: some 300 students received coaching for secondary and senior secondary examsDevelopment of a distance-learning course on ‘NGO Management’ with material for NGO staffNatural resource management:The Green Corps for water harvesting established with recruitment of 41 rural volunteersCapacity building of volunteers through residential as well as on-the-job trainingCommunity action mobilised for water harvesting: water-harvesting structures initiated in 33 villages in nine districts of RajasthanWatershed development in Jamwa Ramgarh block of Jaipur district in Rajasthan: with community involvement, appropriate technology and participation of village institutions, there was 50% increase in the total crop area and 395 increase in crop yield; consequently, there was an increase in the water tableWater harvesting structures were implemented in other areas of Rajasthan as well, such as Dausa, Karoli and PaliWatershed project in Bidar, KarnatakaLiteracy:Village and slum library project: 62 village and 76 slum libraries were established in 22 statesInitiating quality of education programmes in Jammu & KashmirImproved learning environment in schools, using BaLA (Building as a Learning Aid)Girl child education under project EDGE (Educating Girls for Empowerment)Books for children: quality books for children between 6 and 14 years developed and printedHealth:Health planning and prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseasesPrevention, control and management of HIV/AIDSRajiv Gandhi Mobile AIDS Counselling Services (RGMACS) were initiated in cities like Delhi and MumbaiRed Ribbon Express project to check AIDSTuberculosis control programmeHealth promotion, empowerment and development with emphasis on primary healthcare, adolescent health and policy advocacy:Health for All strategy, involving local folk artistes on health issues, was initiated in Sultanpur and Bhatti Mines, New DelhiNational Policy Dialogue on Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994Disabled persons’ welfare:Lifeline Express (LLE): the mobile train hospital performed surgeries for polio afflictions, eye and ear disordersLLE Camp at RewariLLE Camp at BachrawanLLE Camp at J.K. Road, Odisha75 motorised vehicles were distributed in the month of August in order to make orthopedically challenged people self-reliantIncome generation programme for women with disabilitiesEarly intervention programme for hearing-impaired childrenAccessible Delhi projectScience and technology:Aromatic plants project encouraged the cultivation of aromatic plants, benefitting 150 farmersScholarships:Rajiv Gandhi Travelling Scholarships Programme in collaboration with the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (UK) had sponsored 170 scholars since 1996Cambridge scholarships and bursariesRajiv Gandhi Institute for contemporary studies (RGICS):Research activities: RGICS published a series of research papers in its International Economic Relations seriesActivities with schoolChina Association for Internationally Friendly Contact/li>Panchayati Raj:Submission of memorandum to the Prime MinisterStrengthening the role of women in grassroots democracy2005-2006Earthquake relief in Jammu & Kashmir:The distribution of relief materials was done intensively in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and continued for several months; a series of programmes for children was also initiatedWomen and child development:Women and sanitation: a two-day workshop was organised at the FoundationChild support programmes INTERACT-I and INTERACT-II: a total of 56 children orphaned by acts of militancy were selected for financial assistance/li>Tsunami relief and rehabilitation programmesPoverty alleviation programmes such as Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna were initiated: some income generation programmes for women were ginger processing, vegetable cultivation, bamboo cultivation, training in food processing, training in tailoring and sewingScholarship to women pilot trainees from Indra Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA)Natural resource management:19 water-harvesting structures completed in RajasthanProject on ‘strengthening local governance of natural resources in Rajasthan’ initiated with three Panchayats of Jaipur district14 training and exposure visits organised for field workers and community members18 water-harvesting works, 12 gabion structures and 12,813 running meters of boulder bund constructedHealth:AIDS/HIV programme:In the North-East, 120 general practitioners and 80 NGO representatives trained on prevention, control and management of HIV/AIDSIn Delhi, 40 local healthcare providers and 15 youth groups trained on HIV/AIDS and STIsIn Maharashtra, Rajiv Gandhi Mobile AIDS Counselling Services expanded to Solapur, PuneIn order to empower women and adolescents, parenthood campaign initiated in Kurukshetra district, Harayana to improve the declining sex ratio19,008 people were examined under the TB control programmeEducation and literacy:1,322 village and slum libraries were established in 21 statesKashmir initiative for quality education trained 120 teachers from 12 districts of Jammu & Kashmir with the partnership of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).Building as a Learning Aid (BaLa) initiated in order to promote child-friendly school-building designs for government elementary schools with SSA23 books in Hindi and six other languages were printed for childrenUnder Project EDGE, education and vocational training for 428 Muslim girls was undertakenDisabled persons’ welfare:Project Health Watch was held for prevention of causes of disabilitiesMonth-long Lifeline Express camps were organised in order to reach to disabled persons in rural areasMobility camps were organised in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar PradeshEducation and training for employment:Entrepreneurial skills programme for disabled women was initiated; products made by them were marketedHearing aids were distributed to 30 children and five Braillers donated to two Delhi-based organisations working with the visually impaired100 motorised vehicles for orthopedically challenged people were distributedScience and technology:Aromatic Plant Project, Dehradun, was started with 204 beneficiariesPoverty alleviation through the promotion of agricultural micro enterprises in the aromatic plants sectorGene campaigns were organised for sustainable food production, secure livelihoods and ecological securityScholarships:Rajiv Gandhi Travelling Scholarship ProgrammeCambridge Scholarships and BursariesRajiv Gandhi Science Talent Research FellowshipRajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (RGICS):RGICS organised several seminars and other public events during the period of April 2005 to March 2006RGICS, in association with PRIA, organised a national seminar to discuss the present status of the State Finance Commission; participants included Dr C. Rangarajan, Prof. Abhijit Sen and many more esteemed personalitiesRGICS worked on papers on the ‘Impact of Sanitary Measures on Exports of Fishery Products from India: The Case of Kerala’ and ‘An Analysis of Severance Pay Policies in India and Sri Lanka’.RGICS publications included ‘Economic Freedom for States in India 2005’ and ‘Land Use By the Poor in Delhi: Issues of Fuzzy Ownership’2006-2007Natural resource management:A Kissan Sammelan was organised in the remote villages of the Dang area12 new water-harvesting structures were built in 11 villagesA watershed project started in Bidar districtLiteracy and education:A meeting entitled ‘Towards Child Centred Quality Education in J&K’ was organised in Jammu in April 2006 to review the quality of educationA series of five workshops titled ‘Discovering Srinagar’ was organised.A creative-writing workshop was organised for budding writers which was graced by 25 authors and inaugurated by the vice chancellor of Kashmir University, Prof. Abdul WahidA children’s film festival was held at Tagore Hall, Srinagar; 10 national and international award-winning films were screenedAs part of Project Darakht-E-Ilm, 10 young teachers from the locality conducted classes in different mohallas of Jogeshwari in MumbaiWomen and child development:A three-day workshop was held for children in Manipur, with sessions on music, dance, mime show and yoga; it was followed by a brief session on career guidanceA three-day residential workshop was held for tsunami-affected children of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; the children thoroughly enjoyed relay, sack, and lemon-and-spoon races as well as paintingHealth:The Smart Parenthood campaign was initiated in five blocks of Kurukshetra district in Haryana to improve the declining sex ratio by empowering women and adolescent girlsA comprehensive, five-day interactive workshop was held for empowering out-of-school adolescents with life skillsDisabled persons’ welfare:Two mobility camps organised in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir for providing the handmade artificial foot and lower limb prosthesis called the ‘Jaipur Foot’ to persons with locomotor disabilitiesScience and Technology:A field distillation unit was established and handed over to the farmers’ federation as part of the Aromatic Plants Project, Dehradun.Memorial Lectures:The Annual Rajiv Gandhi Science and Technology Lecture was delivered by Prof. Lord Martin Rees, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and President of the Royal Society.Prof. Wangari Muta Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Laureate for Peace, delivered the Eighth Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Lecture in New Delhi.2007-2008Natural resource management:11 water-harvesting structures and one bawari were constructed in Jamwa Ramgarh block in Jaipur districtInnovative agricultural practices such as a sprinkler system were initiated and a ‘kisan mela’ was organised in Thali village to create awareness among farmers about innovative techniquesNon-formal education through Jeewanshalas was started in villages that do not have primary schools within 4–5 kmEducation and literacy:Under the library project, 53 new libraries were opened during this year; the programme also included recreational and literary activities, along with training of the librariansEducation of Muslim girls was emphasised through Project EDGE in Hyderabad and Project Darakh-E-Ilm in Mumbaithe Foundation also emphasised empowerment of Muslim girls and women through projects like Project Saksham, Project Chetna Kendra and the Quality of Education Programme.Various projects like Project Vision were carried forward in order to preserve children’s rightsKashmir initiative:A community library was set up in Srinagar along with village libraries in Baramulla‘Discovering Kashmir’ was a series of student workshops that was field-tested this year among studentsAwards for creative writing were givenA children’s film festival was organisedAn integrated development project called Society for All Round Development (SARD) was launched in RajasthanStory telling workshops were held in Karnataka: 10 such workshops were held for around 4,645 librarians and teachersThe Vidya Gyan Scholarships were launched to reduce the number of school dropoutsWomen and child development:Project INTERACT: the Foundation supported the school education of 752 children and allowances of Rs 12,000 were made to meet the expensesINTERACT II: the Foundation selected 19 children in 2007–08, taking the cumulative total to 42Post-tsunami assistance was started which included child support programmes and workshops for tsunami-affected children of the Andaman and Nicobar islandsChild protection programmes such as Project REACH were initiatedChild Development Centres in Neemrana and Jodhpur were established.Women’s development was undertaken through microfinance and capacity building in states like Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Jammu and KashmirScholarships provided to 34 women cadetsDisabled persons’ welfare:Self-reliance through mobility and medical rehabilitation: the Foundation provided 150 vehicles to orthopedically challenged individuals with the help of our donorsLifeline Express camps and mobility camps were held, and Project Health Watch was launched with the motive of empowering physically challenged peopleEducating, training and employing physically challenged women was achieved through promotion of screwpine crafts and oyster mushroom cultivationHealth:Rajiv Gandhi Mobile AIDS Counselling Services (RGMACS): in Mumbai, 50,000 people were reached through exhibitions, 7,652 persons were counselled in groups and 2,901 individuallySeveral other health initiatives like Save the Kidney Initiative, Health for All, Smart Parenthood campaign, Red Ribbon Express, Community Aid Support and dental camps were organised with successScience and technology:A bio-resource conservation project was initiated with the aim of promoting sustainable agricultural practices; use of plant-based pesticides was encouragedUnder the Aromatic Plant Cultivation and Processing project, various workshops were organised to create awareness among farmersScholarships:Scholarships like the Rajiv Gandhi Travelling Scholarships Programme, Rajiv Gandhi Science Talent Research Fellowships, and Cambridge Scholarships and Bursaries were taken forwardRajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (RGICS):A new, independent website was created at www.rgics.org which and is horizontally linked to the Foundation’s main website (http://www.rgfindia.com).Focus on international economic relations was emphasised, with discussions on implications of SPS and TBT agreements on access to healthOther RGICS initiatives in 2007–08:RGICS Post-doctoral FellowshipIndia–China StudiesDr Mahbub ul Haq Memorial Inter School Debate Competition was heldPublications during the reporting period included ‘Women Rights: Access to Justice’, ‘Economic Freedom in India and China’ and ‘Reflections—People’s Forum, 2007’.Working papers were produced on ‘Tribal Welfare Through Panchayats: The Experience of PESA in Orissa’2008-2009Education and literacy:Under the village and slum libraries project, 52 new libraries were established in Bihar, 10 in Bilaspur and 24 libraries in Uttar PradeshProject EDGE in Hyderabad was launched to support four educational centres for adolescent girls.Project Darakht-e-Ilm was initiated to provide educational support to young girls and women from Muslim dominated areas.Project Vision in Varanasi, Integrated Development Project in Rajasthan and Project Chetna Kendra in Rajasthan was launched.Kashmir initiative for quality education. A manual for teachers relevant for the entire valley titled, ‘Discovering Kashmir’ was prepared.Children’s Film Festival was a four-day event organised in month of March in 2009. Besides, awards for Creative Writing were instituted in year 2008-09.Scholarships:INTERACT I and INTERACT II was taken forward and 1697 children had been supported by the Foundation under this programme.The Foundation also supported children affected by riots and assisted post-tsunami victims.Vidyagyan Scholarship Programme was initiated in order to reduce school dropouts among Dalit and Muslim girls.Rajiv Gandhi Travelling Scholarships and Cambridge Scholarships and Bursaries.Women and child development:Child protection programme:Project REACH in Madhya PradeshChild development centre in RajasthanPoverty-alleviation initiatives for the education of the girl child were undertaken in ManipurWomen’s empowerment through microfinance and capacity building:Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna in Uttar PradeshLivelihood Programme for Women through Vegetable Cultivation in UttarakhandCapacity-building programme through training in food processing in the Andaman and Nicobar IslandsProject Swabalambini in Uttar PradeshLivelihood project for Musahar women through bamboo crafts in BiharSHG formation and skill development among women of the Baiga tribe in ChhattisgarhHealth and disability:Promotion of mobility:Motorised vehicle distribution for orthopedically challenged individuals: 100 individuals were given vehicles with the aid of our donorsMobility camps were organised to provide artificial limbs and other assistive devices to people with disabilitiesEducation, training and employment:Early intervention programme for hearing-impaired childrenManufacture and marketing of screwpine craftsAccess: Promoting a disabled-friendly environment through the Accessible Delhi ProjectLifeline Express campsAwareness and management of HIV/AIDSAwareness and advocacy for the inclusion of persons with disabilityLegal literacy on disability issues and Project Health WatchCommunity-based rehabilitation of the disabled, which included the Landmine Survivors’ Assistance ProgrammeSave the Kidney initiative, Red Ribbon Express and mobile tuberculosis clinic in Himachal PradeshNatural resource management:Strengthening local governance of natural resourcesImproving livelihood options, which included enhancing agricultural production through soil and water conservationInnovative agricultural practices such as demonstrative farms, horticulture units, farm ponds and water-saving techniques were incorporatedWater-harvesting initiatives in Karoli and Pali districtsWatershed development was initiated in Rahir village, Sapotra block, Karoli districtRajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (RGICS):International economic relations:Two conferences, one in New Delhi and other in Beijing, were conducted; the first conference was on ‘Exploring Synergies in Trade and Investment’ and the second concentrated on financial issuesThe institute carried out the following studies:Economic Freedom Index for the States of IndiaIntellectual Capital in India: Contribution of StatesOther annual activities such as the RGICS Post-doctoral Fellowship, India–China Studies and Dr Mahbub ul Haq Inter School Debate continued.and many morany body like this post upvoat me

QUEBEC once a highly denominated French environment is suffering of the super low birth rate all around…North America. Quebec is no different than anywhere else in Mexico or Caribbeans, Central America …low birth rate.Back in the early 1830- Quebec had Canada one of the highest birth rate due to the French Catholic church dominance over the economy and political scenery. In North America they are the only minority left speaking french in 80% of the Quebec areas. You can travel to Quebec City or Montreal and the French atmosphere is present as much as traveling in France, Montreal and Quebec are one of the only n America or Buenos Aires that fully express the French colony. Buenos Aires is considered the Spanish Paris french of South America.July 29, 2017By Paul Malvern|What is the reality in Canada for immigrants?For most of my life I have had a serious love affair going with Quebec, the predominately French-speaking region of Canada. But, as with most affairs of the heart, this particular romance has had its ups and downs - frequently in response to the breathtaking twists and turns of Quebec politics. Even so, it is a romance that has stood the test of time - and decades later it remains as heart-felt as ever.But just because I’m fascinated by Quebec doesn’t mean that I fully understand everything that goes on in the place. Far from it in fact! And one of the biggest mysteries for me has always been how decades back Quebec could have gone from being one of the most Catholic nations on earth to becoming one of the most anti-Catholic areas of the planet - a change that seemed to occur more or less overnight.One day Quebec was an adoring elder daughter of Rome. The next day it was an anti-Catholic nightmare crawling with militant secularists determined to erase every last vestige of the Province’s religious past.Québec is ripe for a profound new evangelization, which is already appearing in certain areas through important catechetical initiatives, and also through common efforts to return to the sources of our history. Spiritual and cultural renewal is possible if the dialogue among state, society, and the church resumes its course, constructive and respectful of our now pluralist collective identity.Searching History for the TruthAs is so often the case with important historical events, the circumstances surrounding the Catholic Church’s fall from grace have too often been obscured by mythology - in this case involving a narrative in which the Church, starring in the role of the arch-villain, Snidley Whiplash, gets blamed for pretty much everything that ever went wrong in Quebec.Of course, not all of this narrative is false. For the Church did make mistakes - some of them quite grievous. Not that great a surprise really, given that it was led - and continues to be led - by fallible human beings, not all-knowing deities! And human beings inevitably fall short of the mark. But to ascribe nothing but harm to the Church - as all too often is the case among Quebec secularists - is to distort reality beyond anything reasonable. For it is equally clear that in spite of its faults, the Catholic Church also did a world of good. And rather than having been the all-powerful institution imagined by many, the role played by the Church was often much more nuanced. For, as we shall see, the Church’s hold on power and influence has varied enormously from one period to another and its hold on the Province has at times been anything but a sure thing. And even when it did play a dominant role, this was sometimes forced upon it by events rather than the result of some overweening lust for power and control.But rather than simply take my word for it, let’s take a quick look at the history of the Church in Quebec with an eye to examining what it sought to achieve during each period, the challenges it faced, how it impacted the people under its care, and how some of its mistakes - teamed with larger societal trends - ultimately led to its demise.The Early YearsTo begin with, it’s important to recognize that the Catholic Church has been a part of the story of French Canada from the very first moment Europeans set foot on the shores of the New World. It all began on July 7, 1534 when a French priest accompanying explorer Jacques Cartier celebrated Mass for the first time on what was to become Canadian soil. And with the founding of Quebec City in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain the colonization that was to lay the basis for the colony of New France began in earnest.iDuring this early period - which was to stretch from 1608-1663 - the Church played a key role in the development of the colony, performing many of the functions that should have been handled by the State. This was in large measure due to the lack during this period of any of the administrative functions normally performed by a civil government. Forced to step into the breach, the Church provided many services in the areas of education, medical care and social services, to name but a few. In addition to attending to the “here and now” needs of settlers and native inhabitants alike, it also responded to the call to spread the Gospel in this new continent and minister to people’s spiritual needs. For this was a Church which possessed a deep spirituality and great missionary zeal - qualities not always obvious in later periods.But, as the saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum. And nowhere is this truer than in the area of politics and government. Which in this case led to what historians call, “the Gallican period” stretching from 1663 to 1760.2- During this period, a civil government was at last in place in New France - which changed the relationship between Church and State profoundly, stripping the Church of many administrative duties and making it subordinate to the State. While it remained responsible for most matters relating to education, health and social services, it now performed them under the watchful eye of government officials. Still, not all of this was negative. For under this new arrangement, the Church was financially supported by the State and held a position of great respect in the colony.Of course, all of this changed yet again in 1760 with the fall of Quebec to the British - an event which threatened both the future of the Church and the survival of French language and culture in North America. For with the fall of New France, the Church suffered a series of important losses - not the least of which were the loss of State protection and financial support and the breaking off of contact with France - which effectively separated Quebec from France and prevented it from bringing in more French-speaking immigrants and clerics from that country. Teamed with this was the banning of a number of religious orders - most notably the Jesuits. And the loss of favoured status and financial support from the State forced the Church to seek acceptance by the British Government. This new situation was particularly galling since it forced the Church to act in ways that would have been unimaginable previously - such as: urging respect for established authority (i.e. their new British masters), supporting the British during the American invasion of 1775, and cooperating with its new colonial masters to gain acceptance as a trusted partner in government.While this collaboration did work in the short run, it was to have long-term negative repercussions since it blackened the Church’s name with the more nationalistic or liberal elements among the population. This became particularly serious when the radical ideas generated by the French Revolution began to infect the growing middle class made up of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. These new ideas presented a significant challenge to the Church and its claim to being the truly authoritative voice in French-speaking society. Eventually this conflict came to a head with the uprisings of 1837-38 - whose failure proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Church. For the Church could now claim that its approach was the correct one - an argument which proved highly effective in restoring its position as the dominant force in society.Even so, it was not all clear sailing for the Church which was faced with another even more daunting problem - namely, that of keeping up with the rapid increase in the population, which during this period was doubling every 25 years. Simply put, the Church did not have enough priests and religious to serve each and every community and segment of population - a failing which reduced its influence and control in many areas of the Province.Happily for the Church, this shortage of priests proved to be only a speed bump on the road to becoming the dominant force in Quebec society - a situation which had become increasingly evident following 1840 as each year saw the Church exercise greater and greater political influence and control over Quebeckers’ lives.The Glory YearsHaving bested its liberal opponents in the battle for the hearts and minds of Quebeckers, the Catholic Church now had a clear field ahead of it and was determined to consolidate its position and firm up its hold over the cultural, social and political life of the Province. And press ahead it did - as can be seen by the rapid increase in the number and size of religious orders and the setting up of classical colleges from which some 50% of graduates eventually entered the priesthood. Even more significant was the increase in the percentage of Catholics who did their ‘Easter duty’ (going to confession and communion at least once during the Easter season). It rose from 50-60% in 1840 to 98-99% in 1896.3- Not surprisingly, this newfound power and influence brought with it many privileges. For example, the only schools permitted in Quebec were confessional schools. Civil registries were kept by the Church. Divorces could only be obtained via an act of Parliament. Church corporations were not taxed. And the Church by and large controlled education, health services and charitable institutions. All and all a very impressive show of strength!In spite of this, the Church’s hold was still far from unassailable. For there remained some liberal holdovers from the past who continued to be a thorn in its side, finding frequent expression in the media and political system. However, by the turn of the century, even this opposition seemed to evaporate. Which resulted in the more or less total victory by the Church whose influence would now be seen in almost every facet of life in Quebec - and whose excesses would eventually lead to its undoing.The Triumphalist PeriodDuring this period - which stretched from the beginning of the 20th century to the emergence of the Quiet Revolution in 1960 - the Church dedicated itself to Christianizing (as it understood the term) every aspect of Quebec society. And no detail, it seems, was too small to escape the attention of Holy Mother Church.To the modern mind, some of these details seem petty and even comical in a dreadful sort of way. One of my favorite examples was contained in a university lecture I heard recently where the Professor in question asked students if they knew why stairs between floors in older apartment buildings in Montreal are on the outside of the building rather than inside as is the case elsewhere. The answer to that riddle, he said, was that many decades back the Catholic Church lobbied the City of Montreal to require staircases on the outside - in hopes of discouraging extramarital sexual relationships between tenants of such buildings. While I have no idea if this is actually true or simply an urban myth, it clearly is a great story. And the fact that it is still being told and taken seriously is a good indication of just how crazy the Church’s interference in people’s private lives became during the period - and the extent to which memories of the Church’s interference in peoples’ personal lives have become burnt into the public consciousness.Of special interest to those living in our current sex-obsessed culture are the Church’s past efforts to encourage couples to be fruitful and multiply. In short to have children - and lots of them! Judging from the number of times I have heard Quebeckers complain about this, it clearly was a very galling issue for those alive at the time. For time and again people have regaled me with stories about how some bossy priest had pressured their grandparents and great grandparents to bring lots of children into the world.Looking back on it with the benefit of hindsight, it is hard to know how true these stories are and how embroidered they might have become with the passage of time. But what clearly is real is the passion people inject into this story’s telling and its prominent place in Quebec’s national mythology. Indeed, I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has told me the story about how some parish priest visited their grandparents and strong-armed them into having 16 children or some similarly high body count.But is it true? Or is it just one more secularist fairy tale to scare small children?In some cases, I suppose these things probably did happen. For every religion has its share of foolish and intrusive clerics - Catholicism being no exception. So it’s reasonable to assume that Quebec did have a number of religiously-motivated busybodies. But in fairness to these much-maligned priests from the past, they did have a point since the Christian faith has always considered children to be a great blessing. And it is true that, were French-speaking Quebec to survive as a cultural and linguistic entity, it was going to need lots of Francophones around to hold back the evil Anglophone tide. So little wonder that some priests - quite possibly with the blessing of some local bishops - would try and communicate the love of large families to their parishioners. Then too we also need to consider what Quebec was like at the time - namely, a largely rural society. Given the nature of farming - where many hands to the plough is a good thing - it’s likely that having large numbers of children was an easy idea to sell to many rural parishioners. All of which suggests to me that many of these interfering priests may not have had to twist rural couples’ arms very hard when it came to reproduction.But whatever the truth of this particular ‘blast from the past’, it remains an undeniable fact that the Quebec Catholic Church did inject itself into many areas of people’s personal lives - with a somewhat mixed record of success.Still, this tendency for the Church to stick its nose into other people’s business was only a small part of a much bigger picture. For the Church hierarchy had much bigger fish to fry than losing sleep over small-time sinning at the parish level. And it was these larger issues that would create the biggest problems for the Princes of the Church.One major issue facing them involved the survival of Quebec as a French-speaking entity - not an easy task given the political, economic and cultural dominance of the huge mass of English-speakers that surrounded it. This required the Wisdom of Solomon as they responded to challenge after challenge - a good example being the First and Second World Wars, where conscription was a huge - and vastly unpopular - issue among francophone Quebeckers.Equally trying was the question of how it should respond to the transformation of Quebec from a rural and deeply conservative society into a modern industrial state with a growing working class facing many social and economic difficulties. (This last one was to cause some of its most enduring headaches and would play a major role in the Church’s demise.)And how were they to relate to a federal government whose agenda was far from Christian?None of this was easy - but the Church did its best with the resources it had at its disposal. Sometimes it managed this well. Sometimes it failed. And sometimes it succumbed to the temptation to make what seemed like deals with the devil - as in the case of its alliance with the government of Maurice Duplessis.The End GameTo many in the Quebec Church hierarchy, Maurice Duplessis (the Premier during the years 1936-39 and 1944-59) must have seemed like a dream come true. He was a strong leader. He viewed Quebec as a Catholic society. And he was prepared to do whatever it took to keep it that way. But as with all deals with the devil, there was a catch. And the catch here was the man’s character and his governing style, which combined authoritarianism, political patronage and unsavory political practices into an unholy trifecta. Was the Catholic hierarchy aware of the regime’s dark side? Almost certainly, given the education and sophistication of those who guided the Church at the time! Did they approve of all that Duplessis did? Probably not but they may have seen their silence and collaboration as the price they had to pay to retain the goodwill and active assistance of the Province’s political masters. And in fairness to them, their strategy did work well for a time - until it no longer did. But when that terrible day finally did arrive, the Church would pay a high price for having compromised its principles.Sadly for the Church, Duplessis was only one of their problems - and maybe not even their biggest headache. For a far greater long-term challenge was the socio-economic transformation that took place in Quebec during the first half of the 20th century, which changed the Province from a very traditional rural society with the Church at its heart into a very urban, highly industrialized society where the old rules no longer applied. Part of this involved the growth of the urban working class - which led to the rapid growth of trade unions and calls for greater social justice from all segments of Quebec society.For a time the Church responded well and with great creativity to this new challenge - by championing working class causes, promoting community development and social justice at the grass roots level, and encouraging the growth of the trade unions, many of which were avowedly Catholic. For example, the rapid growth in the number and size of trade unions following the end of the First World War led to the formation of the Canadian Catholic Confederation of Labour (CCCL) in 1921, many of these unions having a priest assigned to them to act as an advisor. Quebec Jesuits were especially active in promoting social justice in the Province - as seen by the establishment in 1912 of the École sociale populaire in Montreal and the founding some eight years later of annual conferences on social justice called the Semaines sociales du Canada.4 - While such social change and community development initiatives proved highly successful in improving peoples’ lives and raising the consciousness of Catholics as to the social and economic problems facing the Province, their very success placed the Church in an awkward position. For while many in the Church strongly supported the fight for social justice and good working conditions, the Church hierarchy nevertheless wanted to keep things from getting out of hand. This was clearly going to prove tricky. For, as the Church was to discover, encouraging social change can have many unforeseen consequences - one of the most obvious being that the movements you have a hand in starting may not always continue to follow your lead or stay faithful to their original principles. Nor are there are any guarantees that these movements, once powerful, will not come back to bite you. Which is exactly what eventually did happen when activists were exposed to more radical and at times very anti-Catholic ideas. The words of the great 16th century scholar, Rabbi Loew of Prague, who noted that, “He who touches may also be touched”, ring particularly true here. For by encouraging social justice movements and trade union activism, the Church was to inject itself with an ideological virus that would cause great internal dissension and weaken its ability to respond forcefully when faced with the challenges of the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s. And the first sign of trouble was to occur in 1949 with the Asbestos Strike - an event of such importance that nothing was ever the same again.The Asbestos Strike of 1949While revolutions often are the result of long years of injustice or oppression, most can point to one particular event that really started the ball rolling. In Quebec that event would almost certainly be the Asbestos Strike of 1949. Initially, it was just your run of the mill industrial dispute where workers claimed to be underpaid and the employer saw things differently. In normal times it would have been resolved - eventually - and life would have returned to normal. However, in this case, events spun out of control quickly catching the attention and sympathy of much of Quebec society. True to form, Duplessis sided with the company and then the real fun began with other important groups - including the Catholic Church - taking the side of the workers. This was significant because the Church, while sympathetic to workers, nevertheless had traditionally opposed most strikes, instead urging both sides in labour disputes to settle their differences as amicably as possible. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen here and things rapidly moved past the point of no return - eventually forcing the Church to take a clear stand. And it did - in favour of the workers. Its unequivocal material support for the workers won the day for the union. But it also severely damaged the careers of a number of Church figures - most notably that of Montreal Archbishop Charbonneau who had been especially vocal in his support for the workers. And it ended the informal alliance between “cross and crown” that had existed for hundreds of years. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Catholic unions in the Province learned important lessons from this strike which were to make them much more militant and which would eventually result in their freeing themselves from the restraints of the Church.5- In short, the fat was now in the fire and the process of radical change had begun. When it came to fruition, the old order would be swept away - and with it the key role of the Catholic Church.Miriam Oviedo, described the birth of her daughter Maxine as the "best birthday present" since she herself was born on December 31st.While Rome Talks, Québec Has Already Been LostIt was the most Catholic region of North America, but today is the most secularized. It's where Cardinal Ouellet is from, a relator general at the synod of bishops on the Word of God. And Benedict XVI is also looking to it, as to a new missionary territoryAnd he added:"Could not the same thing happen in our time? Nations that once were rich in faith and vocations are now losing their identity, under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture."It can be guessed that, among these nations that once were exuberantly Christian but are no longer so, Pope Joseph Ratzinger is thinking of Canada, and more precisely of Québec.Benedict XVI entrusted to the archbishop of Québec, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the task of introducing and closing the work of the synod with two general addresses. And Cardinal Ouellet is one of the best-informed and most critical witnesses of the metamorphosis that over a few decades has turned the highly Catholic Québec back into missionary territory.Québec is Canada's largest province by area, five times bigger than Italy, but with fewer than 8 million inhabitants. They speak French, and until the middle of the last century they preserved a strong Catholic character. The rivers and villages there bear the names of saints, there are many churches, and almost all of the schools and hospitals were the result of religious initiatives. Vocations also flourished.But beginning in the 1960's, all of this collapsed. Without fanfare, a "quiet revolution" put Québec in the vanguard of secularization. Today less than 5 percent of Catholics go to Mass on Sundays. There are few religious marriages, most funerals are civil, and baptisms are increasingly rare.And the laws ratify this state of affairs in the name of a secularist fundamentalism that has gone so far, this year, as to impose on all state and private schools in Québec – the first instance of its kind in the world – an obligatory course on "ethics and religious culture," with teachers who are forbidden to present themselves as believers and members of the community of faith. The course gives information on the major world religions and discusses controversial topics, like abortion and euthanasia, with the obligation of taking no position one way or another."It is the dictatorship of relativism applied beginning in elementary school," Cardinal Ouellet charges. But his is an isolated voice. 80 percent of families continue to ask for the teaching of the Catholic religion, but only one, Loyola High School in Montréal, has appealed to the supreme court against the obligatory course now imposed by law.Georges Leroux, the philosopher at the University of Montréal who designed the new course, maintains that "the time has come to think about the transmission of religious culture no longer as faith, but as history, as the universal heritage of humanity."It should be noted that the laws that stray the farthest from Church teaching were ratified in Québec not by radical majorities, but by moderate ones. The law on the obligatory teaching of "ethics and religious culture" was approved by a conservative government, which includes Catholic members.The Quiet RevolutionThe year, 1960, marks a key transition point in the history of Quebec and the Catholic Church in that Province. For it was in this year that the newly elected Liberal Government of Premier Jean Lesage embarked upon an ambitious plan aimed at modernizing the Quebec economy and society. Brandishing the slogan, “Maîtres chez nous!” (Masters in our own house), the Lesage government launched wide-ranging reforms which included nationalizing key sectors of the economy and dramatically increasing the ability of the State to impact the lives of Quebeckers through a significant increase in the size and scope of the Provincial Government. Special areas of interest included education and health care, which up to this point had been largely the responsibility of the Catholic Church. In short order these responsibilities were taken away from the Church - which dramatically reduced its profile in Quebec. Teamed with this was a push to secularize Quebec society which was to see the Church removed from its central position to become simply one group among many - if that.Vatican IIThe 1960s were not kind to the Church’s position in society in another important way. And that involved the work of Vatican II which called on churches around the world to respect the autonomy of the political sphere and not rely on the past strategy of using the power of the state to make Catholicism the primary religion. The effect on the Quebec Catholic Church was profound. For as one political scientist commented, “ just as the Quebec state was declaring its autonomy from the Church, the Church was itself affirming the autonomy of political society, the freedom of individual consciences in political matters, and the need for citizens to involve themselves in the important debates and projects of their societies.”6- To make a long story short, Vatican II made any counter-attack against the secularist tsunami virtually impossible. Surrender to the spirit of the times thus seemed like the only available option to many in the hierarchy - which is exactly what happened.The legs had been cut out from underneath the Church and all that remained was to make the best of a bad situation.The FalloutRevolutions - ‘Quiet’ or otherwise - are hard on people and societies. As noted by the ultimate revolutionary, Mao Tse-tung, who declared that, “A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.”7- That certainly was the case with the Quiet Revolution. There was little or no physical violence, of course. But there was most definitely emotional and cultural violence. And there was an overthrow of one class (encompassing the main elements of traditional Quebec society, most notably the Church) by another one (led by an alliance of bureaucratic, professional, academic, media and trade union elites). This was not a small matter. Rather it was a struggle for the very soul of the Quebec nation. And the cost for the losers was enormous.The Damage to the Catholic ChurchCertainly, the damage done to the Catholic Church has been huge. For if some in the Church believed that the Quiet Revolution and Vatican II might somehow magically revitalize the Church, they were sorely mistaken. Sadly, quite the opposite has happened. For rather than bringing about a new reawakening, these two events instead created a series of shocks that caused the implosion of the Church.Take, for example, attendance at mass - an excellent indicator of the state of engagement by the faithful. Prior to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, Quebec had one of the highest attendance rates in North America - if not the world. Now it has one of the lowest.8- And all of this happened very quickly - as noted by former Bloc Québécois leader, Gilles Duceppe, who stated that, “Before Duplessis died, we’d all go to church and make our sign [of the cross], and a year later we didn’t go to Mass anymore.”9- Just how rapid and precipitous this decline was is clear from the statistics. In the early 1960s, the percentage of Quebec Catholics who attended mass once a month or more was over 80%. By 2007 weekly attendance had dropped to 15%.10- And the damage continues unabated, as seen by the observation by veteran Vatican watcher, Sandro Magister, who notes that, “Today less than 5 percent of Catholics go to Mass on Sundays. There are few religious marriages, most funerals are civil, and baptisms are increasingly rare.”11- But it’s not just the drop in the attendance that is a problem. Rather it’s also the damage done to the Church itself, its personnel and its infrastructure - with churches closing and the ranks of its priests being thinned by death (many are now elderly), the desire to build a new life in the secular world, and a reluctance by young men to enter the priesthood. A good example is the Archdiocese of Quebec (the area around Quebec City) which saw the number of priests drop from 1565 (453 Catholics per priest) in 1966 to 634 (1676 Catholics per priest) in 2014 with the number of parishes falling from 275 in 1966 to 207 in 2014.12- Similar declines have been seen in every part of the Province.These declines in the number of churchgoers and priests have created huge problems for the Church - not the least of which what to do with those buildings and properties that are no longer needed and how to pay for the maintenance required for those that are retained. Responding to this challenge, the Church has tried various approaches - including closing churches and parishes, finding alternate uses for church buildings and seeking the assistance of the State by having churches declared historic sites. Sadly, this trend continues today - as seen by the fact that between 2003 and 2014, some 400 churches, mostly Catholic, closed in Quebec. And many are being considered for new uses such as health clubs or cultural centers.13- The Fallout for SocietyOf course, not all of the fallout from secularization and modernization has been restricted to the Catholic Church. For it goes without saying that rapid social, economic and cultural change inevitably brings with it significant stresses and strains for which individuals and society as a whole inevitably must pick up the tab. And this fallout has been particularly evident when it comes to that key social institution, the family.Back in 2011, Andrea Mrozek, Catherine Benesch and I wrote an in depth report for the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada on the state of the family in Quebec entitled, A Quebec Family Portrait. In it we outlined a number of disturbing trends observed in that Province which included: out of control government spending, a low fertility rate which threatened the very future of French-speaking Quebec, a growing preference for co-habitation over marriage, and high rates of sole parenting, out of wedlock births, divorce and abortion. None of which augured well for the happiness of individuals, strong families or social stability.Of particular concern for us was the state of marriage in the Province - which has not done well since the 1960s. We found an institution that has fallen out of favor with many Quebeckers. For example, at the time of our study, married couples made up 54.5% of families in Québec, as compared with the Canadian national average of 68.6%, Quebec’s marriage rate (the number of marriages per 1000 people) was 2.9 compared to 4.4 nationally, and Québec had the highest divorce rate (e.g. the risk of divorce in Quebec by the 30th wedding anniversary was 48.4% in 2004 compared to 37.9% nationally in the same period). By contrast, co-habitation was much more common in Québec (34.6% of couples) than the rest of Canada (13.4%). And not surprisingly Quebec led the country in out of wedlock births (in 2000, 60% of births in Quebec were to unmarried mothers versus 1 in 3 in Canada as a whole).14All of which is troubling since study after study has shown that marriages tend to be more stable overall all than common-law relationships. And it suggests that perhaps not all of the Church’s moralizing in the past was totally without merit.Of course, that’s only part of the problem. For the rapid decline of the Catholic Church also removed the most important intermediary institution between the State and individual citizens - which meant that the State could now do pretty much anything it wanted, without any counterbalancing force to restrain it. And the result has not always been a happy one.Interestingly enough, this very issue was very much on the minds of some Catholic intellectuals back in the 1960s and early 1970s who warned about the growth of an all-powerful Quebec State, now liberated from the restraint of a powerful intermediary body such as the Catholic Church. For such critics this new, enormous and largely unfettered Quebec State would have enormous resources and power which could potentially be used to oppress people rather than liberate them. Fears of just such a possibility were expressed by critics such as François-Albert Angers, who warned that, “When the state is master in every domain, the people are masters in none. The phrase, ‘We are the state!’, which we have not ceased repeating here, is the greatest load of rubbish ever proposed to put the people to sleep and to give the dictatorial green light to all [government] ministers who are, by definition, budding little dictators.”15- While these words would prove prophetic decades later, such warnings eventually died out as people accustomed themselves to this new reality and grew to appreciate the benefits that accrue from having a modern welfare state and a strong government capable of preserving the linguistic and cultural integrity of the Quebec nation.But nothing is ever cost free, is it? And certainly that has been true in the case of Quebec. For, while much can be said in favor of the security provided by the welfare state, there is inevitably a price to be paid in terms of personal freedom. Part of this flows from the very size of many of these programs - which makes it virtually impossible to allow for those individual differences that make each one of us who we are. If such programs are to function in an efficient and cost-effective manner, governments inevitably must resort to a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach - an approach that all too often reduces people to little more than ciphers on a page that can be manipulated as program needs require it.Of course, such a danger is not restricted to Quebec. Rather it is a reality facing virtually every country in the industrialized West - one that each and every one of us must learn to live with.Finally, there is the moral, ethical and spiritual fallout that has occurred as a result of the Church’s sidelining in the Sixties - which, while seldom commented on by journalists and academics, nevertheless is a serious problem in present day Quebec. This was noted by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, former Archbishop of Quebec, who noted that: “Québec’s real problem is the spiritual vacuum created by a religious and cultural rupture, by the substantial loss of memory, which leads to a crisis in the family and in education, leaving citizens disoriented, dispirited, vulnerable to instability, and attracted to fleeting and superficial values.”16 - Writing as someone who used to live in the Province, I would have to say that the Cardinal is onto something here, since there does seem to be a profound spiritual vacuum in Quebec. For while Catholicism may have been largely removed from the public square, other forms of worship are prominent - such as materialism, hedonism and a variety of secular religions disguised as political movements.Even so, this picture is far from totally bleak. For there are a number of hopeful signs. To begin with there do seem to be the early signs of a revival of Catholicism in Quebec - as new religious congregations are set up and immigrants and some young people begin to fill the pews left empty by the flight of older native born Quebeckers. One additional bit of good news, spiritually speaking, is that Catholicism is no longer the only game in town - as seen by the Evangelical revival that occurred in Quebec during the 1980s and the fact that Evangelical churches continue to thrive in that Province even now. I can personally attest to the strength of this movement since I experienced it first hand when I got saved (or ‘racheté as they say in French - that is, ‘redeemed’) in a French language Pentecostal church in Quebec City in the mid-1980s. While some strict Catholics may not see this Evangelical resurgence as a good thing, the reality is that it has been of great benefit to both Catholics and Protestants in a number of ways. For example, it ensures that the Christian message continues to be heard, no matter who does the preaching - which must surely be a good thing. And it allows people to rethink their negative attitudes toward Christianity since Evangelical churches were not associated in the past with the Duplessis regime, as was the case with the Catholic Church. Finally, there is often a spillover effect from Evangelicalism which benefits the Catholic Church. For I recall my pastor at the time saying that one of the benefits he saw flowing from his church was that young people would get saved and then start encouraging their parents to get serious again about their faith. This would give their parents and other relatives a bad conscience. However, being ‘good Catholics’, they could not consider going to a Protestant church. Instead they would return to the Catholic Church and become regular mass attendees. In short it was a win-win situation for all concerned.Summing UpThe story of the rise and fall of the Quebec Catholic Church is a remarkable one - which contains the elements of a great epic novel. There is a passionate but tragic love affair - in this case between a nation and a great religious institution. There is betrayal - with blame to be laid on both sides. There is the sweep of great historical movements - in this case involving the death of the old very rural, very conservative, and very Catholic Quebec and the rise of a modern, urban, high-tech social democratic State. There is the rise of a seemingly nihilistic and materialistic secular order - and the tantalizing early outlines of a possible spiritual revival.In short it is a tale worthy of a remarkable people - which Quebeckers most definitely are.I wish them well in the future - and look forward to seeing what lies ahead for them.A-photo credit: The Library of Congress Church of Ste. Anne de Beaupré (LOC) via photopin (license)1. Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. History of the Church in Canada. Retrieved from:http://www.cccb.ca/site/eng/church-in-canada-and-world/catholic-church-in-canada/history-of-the-church-in-canada2. Claude Bélanger. The Roman Catholic Church and Quebec. Retrieved from: http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/readings/church.htm3. Ibid.4. Terence J. Fay. A History of Canadian Catholics. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, [c2002] p. 304.5. Ibid. pp. 252-253.6. David Seljak. “Why the Quiet Revolution was ‘Quiet’: The Catholic Church’s Reaction to the Secularization of Nationalism in Quebec after 1960". CCHA Historical Studies, 62 (1996). p. 111.7. Mao Tse-tung. "Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan" (March 1927), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 28. Retrieved from: https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/works/red-book/ch02.htm8. Reginald Bibby. Religion À La Carte in Quebec: A Problem of Demand, Supply, or Both? p.14. Retrieved from: http://www.reginaldbibby.com/images/Quebec_Paper_July07.pdf9. Preston Jones. “Quebec after Catholicism”. First Things. June 1999. Retrieved from: https://www.firstthings.com/article/1999/06/quebec-after-catholicism10. Reginald Bibby. Op. Cit. p.111. Sandro Magister. While Rome Talks, Québec Has Already Been Lost. Retrieved from: http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/207117bdc4.html?eng=y12. The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Quebec. Retrieved from: http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dqueb.html13. Graeme Hamilton. “What's happening to Montreal's churches? Quebec finding new ways to preserve its heritage in a secular age.” National Post. July 25, 2014. Retrieved from: http://nationalpost.com/holy-post/whats-happening-to-montreals-churches-quebec-finding-new-ways-to-preserve-its-heritage-in-a-secular-age/wcm/419f8d6a-c470-4c7b-b222-891298dc345714. Paul Malvern, Andrea Mrozek and Catherine Benesch. A Quebec Family Portrait. Ottawa: Institute for Marriage and Family Canada, 2011. pp. 20-22. Retrieved from: https://www.imfcanada.org/archive/247/qu%C3%A9bec-family-portrait15. “Hauteur et mauvaise foi envers nous de ‘l’État c’est nous!’” L’Action nationale, 55, no. 3, (November, 1965). p. 331. Quoted in David Seljak. Op. Cit. pp. 116-117.16. Marc Ouellet. “Where is Québec going? On faith and secularism”. Published in Vita e Pensiero, the magazine of the Catholic University of Milan. Retrieved from: http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/207117bdc4.html?eng=yCulture Witness:We provide commentary on the cultural decline of the Western world, from a conservative perspective.While Rome Talks, Québec Has Already Been Lost‹ More outrageous than Trump: the frightful rise of intoleranceKaty Perry and the New Evangelization ›