World must try to curb extremist ideologies: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for ‘sustained international efforts” to prevent the growth of extremist ideologies — represented by ideologies of “intimidation, terror and other manifestations of intolerance”.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for ‘sustained international efforts” to prevent the growth of extremist ideologies — represented by ideologies of “intimidation, terror and other manifestations of intolerance”.

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Inaugurating the 20th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth on Tuesday, the prime minister said that the world must look at eliminating such forces without undermining its democratic foundations.

Such ideologies are threatening civilised existence and challenging the tenants of democracy and representational politics, Singh said.

Stating that the developing world was bearing the brunt of the problem of climate change, the prime minister said that a “collective and collective approach” was required to deal with the issue.

“I call for a greater sense of fairness and justice in global approaches to deal with the problem of climate change,” Singh said.

Without referring to the women’s reservation bill, Singh said that representative bodies should think of ways to marshal the energy and impatience of the young and the vast latent capabilities of our women.

“It is imperative that women are given a more meaningful role in the political and developmental process,” he said.

Earlier, welcoming the delegates, Lok Sabha Speaker and Chairperson of the conference, Meira Kumar said that as an instrument of social change, the Indian Parliament had enacted a number of people-centric legislations.

The commitment to democracy shown by India makes up the core of India’s value systems, she said.