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Chandigarh Welfare Trust launched to help city regain old glory
Chandigarh Welfare Trust is dedicated to the development and welfare of the city in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
Chandigarh University chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu on Monday launched a non-government organisation (NGO) — Chandigarh Welfare Trust — dedicated to the development and welfare of the city in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including education, gender equality, health and well-being, economic growth, peace, justice, strong institutions, poverty and climate action.
Besides Sandhu, who is the Trust founder, Chandigarh Group of Colleges chairman Rashpal Singh Dhaliwal and chartered accountants and Trust’s governing body members Sunil Kumar and Rampal Dhiman were also present.
Sandhu said that Chandigarh was the first modern city of the country and is among very few such cities across the world to have succeeded in terms of combining monumental architecture, cultural growth, and modernisation. “However, with passing times, things have changed, with growing population and considerable stagnancy in corresponding resources. This NGO is an attempt to restore and promote its glory, and to restitute Chandigarh as a model of development for other cities in India and elevating its standing among the cities of the world,” he said.
Sandhu said the Trust aims to work for community well-being and sustainable welfare, besides making the Chandigarh city a leader in all aspects, including sanitation, education, cleanliness, quality of life and health, and will bring together 127 NGOs in the Union Territory, thousands of individual social workers, UT administration and municipal corporation in this mission.
He said the Trust has identified two projects that required immediate attention and has started working on these already. These are improving the ranking of Chandigarh in Swachh Bharat survey and establishing it as the cleanest city of the country, and improving the positioning of Chandigarh in Ease of Living Index.
“With such diverse population and culture, Chandigarh is a contemporary metropolis. With 86% literacy rate and 53% of its population working and 38% young, the people of Chandigarh will play a deciding role in providing the impetus in making this City Beautiful recognised at the global map.”
It was also informed that Chandigarh Welfare Trust is exploring the possibility of associating with the QS World Merit Charity, and start its own QS World Merit Chapter. This will enable the Trust to gain the support of the prestigious philanthropic organisation in raising awareness, energy and capacity of young people to take local actions that tackle the most pressing community-specific issues of the 21st Century, with UN’s SDGs at its core.
