Bengaluru: Min Kota Srinivas Poojary felicitates newly appointed SR at UNHRC Dr K P Ashwini

Bengaluru: State Social Welfare Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary felicitated Dr. K P Ashwini from Karnataka’s Kolar, who has been appointed as a special rapporteur (SR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Dr. Ashwini was felicitated at the Vikas Soudha on Monday, October 31.

Wishing her luck the minister said, “Your research on daily wage workers and the downtrodden is appreciable. It’s a proud moment for our country that you are being appointed as special rapporteur of the UNHRC. We hope that you take our country to great heights”.

Expressing her thoughts, Dr. Ashwini said, “There’s a great responsibility of presenting issues like racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance at the UNHRC. Me being a Dalit woman from India, feel happy to have got this opportunity. I’ll try my best to play my role”.

Chairman of the Backward Classes Commission Jayaprakash Hegde, Advisor of the Social Welfare Department Dr. E Venkataiah, and other officials were present.

Dr. Ashwini is the first Asian and the first Indian to be appointed SR to the UNHRC. All her predecessors have been from Africa.

Earlier, the UNHRC posted a tweet on their official handle informing about the appointment of Dr. Ashwini as the new Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

Dr. Ashwini’s tenure will begin on November 1.