Neera Shastri - Social Life

Social Life

Mrs Shastri was a member of the National Commission for Backward Classes, Government of India, and in her capacity had visited all the states and union territories as a Bench Member for the Public Hearing to identify the OBC castes/communities for the Central List. She has also attended the meetings of OBC Welfare Organisation in different states to discuss key problems and getting OBC certificate and implementation of reservation criteria in central and state government services. As a member of the Commission, she has drawn the attention of the central and state government for a special drive to providing enough opportunities of education and employment to the OBC women in order to bring them to the mainstream of the nation.

Her efforts to uplift the less privileged section of society have been endless. She actively took part in organising the National Conference of central and states OBC Commissions and Secretaries in-Charge of OBC Welfare Department. This was inaugurated by the then Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Dr. S.N. Jatia, and addressed by the then Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Dr. Sanjay Paswan. In July, 2005, she also presided over the National Conference of central and states OBC Commissions and Secretaries in-Charge of OBC Welfare Departments from all over the country which was inaugurated by Meira Kumar, Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment and addressed by S. Jagadeesan, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment.In the same conference she presented a paper emphasizing the need of categorization of the central and state lists of OBCs, maintenance of uniformity in both the lists and increase in the creamy layer limit as a policy preparation, which was later considered by the ministry and the creamy layer limit was increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh per capita income. She also suggested that the artisans engaged in the hereditary occupation be kept out of the purview of creamy layer. The main focus of the presentation was also on the educational empowerment of the OBCs.

She has also been associated with the Lal Bahadhur Shastri Hospital from the day of its inception. Thereafter as a member of the Hospital Advisory Committee, she has helped in setting up and operationalising the hospital including its building and procurement of critical equipment. The hospital was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Her association with the cause of social upliftment has had a huge impact in shaping her political career. She has organized and participated in various programmes for the upliftment of widows and the disabled aiming at getting financial benefits for them and providing them with gainful employment. She has helped establish rehabilitation centres for destitute children and conduct literacy awareness camps as chairperson of Shastri Niketan apart from playing a key role in organising several blood donation and eye operation camps. Mrs Shastri has even collaborated with other NGOs in organising several welfare activities as an executive member of Shastri Sewa Niketan, Manda, Allahabad, an all India institution devoted to the upliftment of rural women and children. She has been enormously successful in helping out with the planning and establishing several branches of Sewa Niketan in various parts of the country with a view to train women in various trades and skills to prepare them for self-employment.

She has also shown keen interest in promotion of rural arts and craft with special emphasis on the Rajasthani traditional art.