Manmohan for fair balance between equity, excellence

In a veiled reference to the raging controversy over reservation in elite educational institutions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said a ‘‘fair balance’’ was required between equity and excellence.

In a veiled reference to the raging controversy over reservation in elite educational institutions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said a ‘‘fair balance’’ was required between equity and excellence.

‘‘I sincerely believe that we must strike a fair balance between doing good and doing well, between ensuring equity and pursuing excellence. Our government would like to see that each of our institutions of education and welfare function within these parameters — be they schools and colleges or be they hospitals or municipal and panchayat organisations,’’ he said while addressing the 66th annual convocation at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Deonar.

The PM said the government was working on a comprehensive policy framework for social security and social welfare. However, he identified manpower improvement in government programmes as a key challenge facing the UPA. The non-government sector too, he pointed out, was facing an equally important challenge to improve the quality of management.

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The PM also laid the foundation stone for the Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management (JTCDM) on the TISS premises.

Tata, Amte honoured

TISS conferred the Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) on social activist Murlidhar Devidas Baba Amte “in recognition of more than seven decades of dedicated, visionary and pioneering service to the cause of humanity and social justice” and to industrialist Ratan Tata “in recognition of his distinguished business, organisational and philanthropic leadership”.