Women and Child Development Ministry Presented ‘Stree Shakti Puraskar’ 2010 on International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day celebrations were organised by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in New Delhi today. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Women and Child Development Smt. Krishna Tirath inaugurated the event. On the occasion, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Women and Child Development Smt. Krishna Tirath presented the ‘Stree Shakti Puraskar’ 2010, given every year to eminent women for their dedication to the cause of women and the struggles in their own lives to bring about a more gender equitable society.
Rani Lakshmibai Award has been presented to Mrs. Pottabathini Padmavathi from Andhra Pradesh, who did not allow her disability to become and adversity and faced the challenge positively to learn music and become an established artist.
Kannagi Award was conferred upon Mrs Thagu Maya Bardewa from Sikkim, who has done great work helping people in distress, orphans, widows and destitutes.
Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award went to Mrs. Rathnamma from Karnataka, for her extensive work for awareness generation on child labour and eradication of dowry, early marriage, untouchability and sexual harassment.
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award was given to Mrs. Monika S. Garg an officer of the 1989 batch of Indian Administrative service from Uttar Pradesh for her outstanding work for empowerment of women through promoting their participation in Government Programmes.
The Mata Jijabai and Rani Rudrama devi awards were not awarded to anyone this year.
Speaking on the occasion Smt. Krishna Tirath highlighted the various interventions undertaken by Government of India for the socio-economic empowerment of women. She said that schemes like Support to Training Employment Programme (STEP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), were playing a crucial role in providing employment to women. She said that the two new initiatives of the Ministry of Women and Child Development – the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY)- Conditional Maternity Benefit (CMB) and the SABLA scheme for Adolescent girls were launched in 2010. She told the women participating in celebrations how her Ministry was now gearing up to mainstreaming women’s concerns in all development programmes through the National Mission for Empowerment of Women.
Praising the Anganwadi workers for their commitment and efforts, she said that the Government had announced a hundred percent increase in their honorarium with effect from 1st April 2011.
Beneficiaries of the STEP and ‘Rashtriya Mahila Kosh’ (RMK) programmes of the WCD Ministry shared their stories of struggle and empowerment. The women, mostly from very poor families, from Manipur, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, told their stories how with training and loan support from the programme they had started their own small income generating activities and were now living a dignified and independent life. Speakers from NGO ‘Stree Shakti’ also shared their experiences.
A panel discussion was organised on the theme of “Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women: A Way Forward” including issues of concerns of women in agriculture, in the informal sectors, on financial inclusion of women and women’s access to education and skill development. Ms. Usha Thorat, Former Deputy Governor, RBI chaired the panel discussion. The eminent panellists were Ms, Renana Jhabvala from ‘SEWA’, Mr. Anshu Gupta from ‘Goonj’, Mrs. Madhura Chatrapati, from Ascent and Mrs Williams, Principal, Mount Caramel School. The panellist highlighted the various concerns of women in the informal sectors while emphasising on the need for financial inclusion of women.
The event saw a major gathering of more than 1200 women and men from various Government and Non-Government sectors. Development partners and women from Self Help Groups also participated in the event.
A photo exhibition was organised by the WCD Ministry showing volunteers of NGOs working towards empowerment of women through Self Help Groups (SHGs) associated with Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and RMK programmes. The WCD Ministry has also organised stalls at “Dilli Haat” from 1st to 14th of March 2011 wherein the women entrepreneurs of the RMK programme have displayed their products for sale.
The Ministry has brought out a compilation of various schemes related to women by different ministries and departments of Central Government. The booklet will be useful as a quick reference and ready reckoner to all those who are working for the cause of women, including policy makers, researchers, NGOs and the women beneficiaries themselves.
YSK/PM
(Release ID :70668)