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The Chairperson of the National Advisory Council Smt. Sonia Gandhi has said that some solution on reservation for women in Parliament would be found soon as talks are on with various political parties on this issue. She said like Panchayats, national and state legislatures should have one-third reservation for women. Describing the women’s issues as national issues, Smt Gandhi said it is the society’s responsibility to answer them. She was speaking after honouring twenty five women entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes and Minorities at a function here today on the occasion of International Women Day. They also included Safai Karamcharis and disabled women. These women, living below the double poverty line (having annual income less than Rs. 40,000/- in rural areas and Rs. 55,000/- in urban areas), have risen above their trying circumstances to become successful entrepreneurs. Smt. Gandhi presented each of them a Citation, a Momento, a Shawl and a Sari/ Suit.
Felicitating the women entrepreneurs, Smt. Gandhi called for national initiative to prevent all forms of atrocities against women. She said political parties, voluntary organisations, NGOs and media have a major role in it. Smt. Gandhi said that we need to change attitudes and enact new laws to make gender equality possible. Referring to the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s initiative on Panchayati Raj, Smt. Gandhi said that there are today 10 lakh women panchayat members in the country. She said this year for the first time gender budgeting has been done. More money has been allocated for development and welfare of women and children. Banks have been asked to provide loans to women. Smt. Gandhi said this is the beginning. She said that we would have to focus our attention on the welfare of workers in the unorganised sector. Smt. Gandhi called upon the states to take measures to end the demeaning practice of manual scavenging as soon as possible.
Presiding over the function, the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Smt. Miera Kumar said that the UPA Government under the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh is fully committed to empower the disadvantaged groups. Felicitating the women entrepreneurs, Smt Kumar said " though they may be standing at the lowest rung of society, they have managed to give a new meaning to their lives by dint of exceptional courage and specialized skills". She said this is worth emulating by one and all.
Those who were felicitated are Smt. Sumitra Aswal (Rajasthan), Smt. Asha Lata Biswas (West Bengal), Smt. Prema Kumari (Karnataka), Smt. Uma Devi (Himachal Pradesh), Smt. Padma (Andhra Pradesh), Smt Mahendri (Delhi), Kumari Sharda (Delhi), Smt. Suvarna B. Ugale (Maharashtra), Smt. Bismilla (Rajasthan), Ms. Pooja Kapoor (Faridabad), Smt. Champaben (Gujarat), Smt. Laxmi (Uttar Pradesh), Smt. Asha Devi (Rajasthan), Smt. Satya Devi (Himachal Pradesh), Smt. Bhagwati Bai (Madhya Pradesh), Smt. Sakeena (Jammu & Kashmir), Smt. Sona Devi (Haryana), Smt. Pushpa Gupta ( Bihar), Smt. Sangeeta (Madhya Pradesh), Smt. Reena Rani (Punjab), Ms. Khatija Begum (J&K), Ms. Hosne Ara Begum (West Bengal), Smt. Shalini Singh (Haryana), Smt. Uma Negi (Himachal Pradesh), Smt. Shamshad Bano (Madhya Pradesh). They have been assisted financially in their endeavour by the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC), the National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC), the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC), the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) and the National Minorities Development and Finance (NMDFC). These corporations are working under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the economic upliftment of the marginalised and weaker sections of the society.
The wife of the Prime Minister Smt Gursharan Kaur, several union Ministers, Members of Parliament and senior officials of the Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment attended the function.
MLD/SJE-55 (8.3.05)
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