Bhubaneswar: The prestigious annual Kalinga Fellowship 2022 was inaugurated on Monday at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) by S K Priyadarshi, Police Commissioner of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in the presence of delegates from India and abroad.
Launched in 2017 and co-founded by KISS, Bridge Institute UK and FXB India Suraksha (FXBIS), Kalinga Fellowship is a societal leadership platform to facilitate a breakthrough in thinking and strategy on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 that concerns gender equality.
The Police Commissioner said that prevention of child marriage and sexual abuse is a priority that should be addressed keeping the social and cultural values of Odisha in mind.
He observed that child marriage is still a big issue across the state, citing a recent example where police in the state capital had to prevent one such case.
“This is happening in the heart of the city. Imagine the magnitude of the problem in the state as a whole,” he remarked.
The state’s top cop said reintegration of the victims is another issue that has to be addressed while being sensitive to social values and customs of Odisha.
Welcoming the association of police with the fellowship, he said the psychosomatic challenges of victims can’t be adequately addressed without taking into account deeper social values.
Welcoming the delegates, Director of Bridge Institute Simon Mackenzie outlined the objective of British institute, which brings business, government and civil society leaders together to solve the burning problems, preparing the leaders who want to change the world with the requisite leadership skills.
