The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India began its 4-weeks long in-person Winter Internship - 2024, for post-graduate-level students. 80 students from different academic disciplines from various universities and colleges of the country are attending. They were shortlisted out of over 1,000 applicants.

Inaugurating the internship, NHRC, India Acting Chairperson, Smt Vijaya Bharathi Sayani urged the interns to reflect on their role in shaping the future of human rights in India. She encouraged them to contribute towards building a society wherein everyone has equal access to rights and opportunities and no one is left behind. Highlighting India’s path to becoming a global leader, she emphasized that this journey is not just about economic growth but also about upholding the principles of justice, inclusivity, and compassion.

In his address, NHRC, India Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal congratulated the interns on their selection for this prestigious internship programme and encouraged them to utilise this opportunity to learn maximum and develop sensitivity towards societal problems and respond to them with compassion. He urged the interns to internalise the core values of equality, justice, liberty and fraternity, as enshrined in the Constitution of India and to actively contribute to upholding the human rights of every individual in the society.

Shri Devendra K. Nim, Joint Secretary, NHRC, giving an overview of the winter internship programme, highlighted the Commission’s functioning and various activities towards promoting and protecting human rights. He emphasised that the interactive sessions and various other activities including group research projects, book reviews, etc. during the internship aim to provide interns with a comprehensive understanding of human rights and related challenges to find their solutions, fostering a deeper commitment to the cause.

During the internship, the students will not only be exposed to various aspects of human rights by the subject experts but also taken for field visits for the functioning of various institutions and understanding of the ground realities as well as the requirements for protecting the human rights of various segments of society. The interns completing the internship will also be given a stipend of Rs.12,000/-. The Director, Lt Col Virender Singh delivered the vote of thanks.

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NSK