News and Pics by Jessie Rodrigues
Daijiworld Media Network—Bangalore (CN)

Bangalore, Jan 19: Caritas India, a pioneer social development organization is holding a national assembly of directors of social work at the St Johns Medical College Auditorium, Koramangala, on Monday January 19 and Tuesday January 20.

This was announced in a press conference held on Saturday January 17 at Hotel Chancery on Lavelle Road. The theme of the assembly will be ‘People’s Participation in Local Governance.   

Fr Varghese Mattamana, executive director, Caritas India, Fr Frederick D’Souza, assistant executive director, Fr P Chinnappa, Caritas India, Fr Becket D’Souza, director, KROSS,  Fr Faustine Lobo, public relations officer, KRCBC, and consultant of Caritas India, P M Philip, manager, and Jimmy Mathew, state officer, Caritas India, were present at the press conference.

Caritas India was established in 1962 for poverty eradication, disaster relief and rehabilitation, and community organization. Caritas exists in 163 countries across the world, under the auspices of a co-ordinating body called Caritas Internationalis. Caritas India has over 350 partner NGOs in the country of which more than 20 are in Karnataka covering more than 3,000 backward villages of the state. The organization has initiated the formation of 250,000 grassroots-level people’s organizations.

Over the two-day event Caritas India with its partners will discuss the Pachayat Raj Institutions (PRI) and think of ways to build alliances for good governance. The focus of discussion would be PRI and community organization, PRI and governance, PRI and social equity, and PRI and climate change. Various strategies will be worked out to be implemented at local, regional, and state levels.