Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh said on Monday that it was the responsibility of teachers and parents to periodically educate students about the ill-effects of social media, cybersecurity, and moral values. He was addressing the students and faculty members of Sambodha Tibetan School in Chotta Shimla during a grand celebration organised to mark the 91st birthday of the Dalai Lama. He was the chief guest on the occasion.
He said, “The misuse and irresponsible use of social media is giving rise to many negative trends in society, the ill-effects of which are being seen today across the country as well as in Himachal Pradesh. A school is the place where the foundation of a child’s personality, thinking and life values ??is laid. Therefore, teachers and parents should make students aware about the bad effects of social media.”
Vikramaditya urged the school administration to conduct regular awareness campaigns among students so that they could understand the difference between “what is right and what is wrong”. He referred to the recent shooting incident at a school in Shimla and said that such incidents were a matter of concern for society and guiding the youth in the right direction was the need of the hour. He added that students should also be made aware of the importance of environmental protection, ecosystems and forests from the school level.
The minister felicitated meritorious students and launched a Hepatitis-B screening campaign. He announced Rs 31,000 for groups that presented cultural programmes. About the Dalai Lama, he said, “Himachal has gained a distinct identity worldwide because of the Dalai Lama. The historic decision by India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, to grant the Dalai Lama asylum in India symbolises the liberal traditions of humanity and Indian culture.”
He recalled the special, cordial relationship between his father and former six-time Chief Minister, late Raja Virbhadra Singh, and the Tibetan spiritual leader and said that his family considered itself fortunate that the Dalai Lama had personally released the biography of his father in Dharamsala in 2017.