India rises from 'Fragile Five' to world's fourth largest economy: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], August 29 (ANI): The National Conference of Chairpersons of Committees of Parliament and State Legislatures on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes began on Friday in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The two-day conference, inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. On this occasion, addressing the conference, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh said that Parliament and its committees serve as a powerful platform to realise the ideals of social, economic and political justice enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution.
He said that the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, constituted in 1968, studies the reports of national commissions and examines the steps taken by the government.
Harivansh described India's independence as not only a political transformation but also a social awakening, recalling the long tradition of social reformers who challenged orthodoxy and paved the way for progressive social thought.

On India's economic progress, Harivansh said that India has risen from being part of the 'Fragile Five' (2013) to becoming the world's fourth-largest economy (2025). According to the World Bank, extreme poverty in India has declined from 16 percent in 2011-12 to 2.3 percent in 2022-23, while multidimensional poverty has come down from 54 percent to 15 percent. For prosperity to be shared with the people, the nation must be strong and wealthy. Hollow slogans only distribute poverty. Prosperity alone creates equal opportunities, not deprivation.
Calling for a nationwide campaign to eradicate casteism, similar to the freedom movement, Harivansh said that while reservation remains essential, a change in people's mindset is equally necessary for building an egalitarian society. Public awareness campaigns are needed in this regard.
At the beginning of his address, the Deputy Chairman paid homage to the martyrs of the Amarko-Simko Movement (Odisha, 1939), often called the "Jallianwala Bagh of Odisha." Praising Odisha, he said that the state has given India its first tribal woman President, Droupadi Murmu, who is a symbol of simplicity and struggle. Odisha stands as an exemplary model of inclusive development among tribal-dominated states.
The conference was also addressed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. (ANI)