Charity should go beyond immediate relief: Sonu Sood

The seventh edition of Symposium, a knowledge forum, was organised in Hyderabad on Friday.

Actor-producer Sonu Sood has emphasised the need to move beyond providing immediate relief to people in distress and help them become self-reliant through sustainable livelihood opportunities.

“Charity should begin by addressing immediate suffering. When someone is hungry, give them food first. But don’t stop there; help them find opportunities to become self-reliant and build a better future,” he said. He was speaking at the seventh edition of Symposium, a knowledge forum, organised on Friday on the theme ‘The Humanity in Us’ at The Debut, Hitex, here.

Goonj and Gram Swabhimaan founder Anshu Gupta stressed that charitable initiatives should address genuine needs of communities rather than merely distribute surplus resources.

Symposium founder and MPM Group chairman and managing director Girish Mallpani called for a responsible fiscal framework to regulate welfare expenditure by State governments. He said such a framework should distinguish essential welfare measures, including healthcare, education, nutrition and social security, from non-essential subsidies and electoral freebies.

Participants also called for a wider debate in Parliament on establishing a transparent and accountable framework for welfare spending. However, they cautioned against imposing rigid expenditure ceilings that could adversely affect essential social security programmes or States facing extraordinary challenges.

Independent journalist Uma Sudhir moderated the session. Former Police Commissioner A.K. Khan and former Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma shared their perspectives on welfare policies and their implementation from an administrative standpoint.