100 university-level students from diverse academic backgrounds shortlisted out of more than one thousand applicants
Chairperson, Justice V. Ramasubramanian urges interns to reflect on the purpose behind joining the internship to make the best use of its learning opportunities
Member, Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi says, understanding essence of human rights necessary to help the interns in life
Member, Vijaya Bharathi Sayani urges interns to go beyond the theoretical understanding of law and observe, listen, question, analyse and act with sensitivity at the grassroots level
Secretary General, Piyush Goyal describes human rights as a broad and nuanced domain and urges the interns to understand its diverse dimensions
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India’s two-week Online Short-Term Internship Programme (OSTI) for university students in September 2026 began today at Manav Adhikar Bhawan, New Delhi. NHRC, India Chairperson, Justice V. Ramasubramanian, inaugurated the programme in the presence of NHRC, India Members, Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi and Smt. Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, Secretary General Shri Piyush Goyal, Joint Secretary Smt. Saidingpuii Chhakchhuak and Deputy Secretary Smt. Vineetha Ottapurakkal Kallada. A total of 100 students from diverse academic backgrounds, selected from over 1,000 applicants, are participating in the programme.
Addressing the interns, Justice V. Ramasubramanian urged them to reflect on the purpose behind joining the internship to make the best use of its learning opportunities. He said that the programme would achieve its purpose if the interns learnt to look at society through a human rights lens. Observing that the same news can have different interpretations, he emphasised the importance of knowledge and awareness which helps in informed understanding of situations to make meaningful contribution to society.
NHRC, India Member, Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi said that understanding the essence of human rights is necessary to help the interns in life. He said while the interns possess knowledge, gaining experience is essential to applying human rights values meaningfully at every stage of life.
NHRC, India Member, Smt. Vijaya Bharathi Sayani emphasised that every individual has the right to live with dignity. She urged the interns to go beyond the theoretical understanding of law and observe, listen, question, analyse and act with sensitivity at the grassroots level. Justice, Equality, Liberty and Fraternity, she said, should become lived values and not remain merely words in the Preamble of the Constitution. She also encouraged the interns to learn both from law and from people.
NHRC, India Secretary General, Shri Piyush Goyal described human rights as a broad and nuanced domain and urged the interns to understand its diverse dimensions, work collectively and contribute towards strengthening human dignity. He wished them a successful and fulfilling internship.
NHRC, India Joint Secretary, Smt. SaidingpuiiChhakchhuak gave an overview of the two-week programme, which will feature around 30 lectures by 20 eminent speakers, including senior government officials, academicians, civil society representatives, human rights defenders, NHRC officers, representatives of international institutions and subject experts. The interns will also undertake virtual visits to places such as police station, Tihar Prison etc. to understand their functioning and challenges.
