Communal Harmony Flag Day observed by National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH)

The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH) is observing the Communal Harmony Campaign and Fund Raising Week from November 19-25, 2017 and the Flag Day was celebrated today with enthusiasm and fervour. Publicity material like Flag stickers, wrappers, posters, brochures, pamphlets etc. were dispatched to about 1.24 Lakh units for appropriately marking of this significant occasion all over the country during this year including all States / UTs and covering all Ministries / Departments, Central Public Sector Undertakings, Paramilitary organizations, Universities, educational institutions, Nationalized Banks, etc. Out of these 1.03 Lakh units were educational institutions.

In response to the appeal made by the NFCH, programmes are being organized by different stakeholders including educational institutions, public sector enterprises, Government Departments/ agencies, NGOs and voluntary organizations, etc. during the Week to promote the ethos of Communal Harmony and National Integration. The Week’s last working day, today, is being observed as the Flag Day throughout the country. This occasion is also utilized to generate financial support for destitute children affected by communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence.

Six children, two each from the States of Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir and one each from Assam and Uttar Pradesh were invited by the Foundation along with their mothers/guardians and escorts (State Government representatives) to participate in the Communal Harmony Campaign Week & Flag Day celebrations. These children viz. Amrooz Shabir and Sawan Kumar from Jammu & Kashmir; Gopalbhai Vakhatsinh Parmar and Km. Azim Bibi Chiniwala from Gujarat; Km. Martina Saikia (Assam) and Shakeel Ahmed (Uttar Pradesh) were privileged to meet, greet and stick Communal Harmony Flags on the persons of the President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and Union Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Gauba today to mark the Flag Day.

These children were taken to local sight-seeing in Delhi and nearby places of historical, religious and cultural importance i.e. Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, India Gate, Qutub Minar, Rajghat, Lal Quila, Nizamuddin Dargah and Rail Museum during their weeklong stay in the national capital. They were very excited to see these places and enthused to intermingle with their fellow friends coming from different states for this celebration.

The Foundation also organized an Inter School competition on Hindi Declamation on the topic: “सांप्रदायिक सदभाव : राष्ट्र की आवश्यकता” to observe the Communal Harmony Campaign Week & Flag Day 2017 amongst children of different schools in Delhi on November 22, 2017. Students from 18 different schools participated in the programme. This event provided a platform for interaction between students of various communities. Winners were felicitated with Awards and Certificates by the Foundation.

The programme was presided over by Shri Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities. Shri Awadh Kumar Singh, Secretary, NFCH; Shri Paramjeet Singh Chandhok, Member, Governing Council, NFCH; Dr M D Thomas, Founder Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies and Smt Naaz Rizvi of the National Museum of Natural History also graced the occasion and shared their valuable thoughts on the theme. About 500 school children from different communities assembled on the occasion.

The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous organisation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, organises the Communal Harmony Campaign coinciding with the Qaumi Ekta Week and also observes the Communal Harmony Flag Day. The Foundation promotes Communal Harmony and strengthens National Integration. Under its Project ‘Assist’, the NFCH also provides financial assistance for relief and rehabilitation of children rendered orphan or destitute in communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence.

The Foundation has appealed for participation of every citizen from all sections of the society during the Communal Harmony Campaign Week and Flag Day for promotion of this noble cause.