Prez calls for empathy, not sympathy for upliftment of specially-abled
She was speaking after presenting the National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Emphasising that one could learn the feeling of selfless love from animals and birds, President Droupadi Murmu on Friday made an appeal to the people to have the same sense of sympathy and respect for elephants and other living beings as they have for humans.
Inaugurating the ”Gaj Utsav-2023” at the Kaziranga National Park, she said the actions which were in the interest of nature, animals and birds, were also in the interest of humanity and Mother Earth.
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”The forests and green areas of Elephant Reserves are very effective carbon sinks. Therefore, it can be said that all of us will be benefited from the conservation of elephants and it will also help in facing the challenges of climate change. Participation of society along with the government is necessary in such efforts,” she added.
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The president noted that there was a very sacred relationship between nature and humanity. The culture of respecting nature has been the identity of India where nature and culture have been linked to each other and have been receiving nourishment from each other.
Elephants have been most respected in the Indian tradition. The elephant has been considered a symbol of prosperity. It was the National Heritage Animal of India. Therefore, protecting elephants was an important part of India’s national responsibility to preserve its national heritage, she added. She said the elephants were considered very intelligent and sensitive animals.
The President said that the ‘Human-Elephant Conflict’ has been an issue for centuries. ”And when we analyse this conflict, it is found that a barrier created in the natural habitat or movement of elephants is the root cause. Therefore, the responsibility of this conflict lies with the human society.”
She noted that protecting elephants, conserving their natural habitats and keeping elephant corridors free from obstruction were the main objectives of Project Elephant. Solving the problems related to Human-Elephant Conflict was also the aim of this project.
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