Celebrating the International Women’s Day with full fervor; the President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu inaugurated a national conference on the theme ‘Nari Shakti Se Viksit Bharat’ in New Delhi. It was organized by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The president greeted fellow citizens and marked the day as an occasion to honor women’s achievements, raise awareness of their rights, and dedicate ourselves to promoting gender equality.
50 years of International Women’s Day
The President shared that the day celebrated completion of 50 years of International Women’s Day. In this period, the women’s community has made unprecedented progress. She considered her life journey to be a part of this progress. From being born in a simple family and backward area of Odisha, her journey to the Rashtrapati Bhavan is the story of equal opportunities and social justice for women in Indian society. She expressed confidence that the examples of women’s success will continue to grow.
She shared that “a better environment for girls to move forward is necessary for realizing the dream of a developed India. They should get an environment where they can make independent decisions about their lives without pressure or fear. We have to create such an ideal society where no daughter or sister is afraid of going or staying alone anywhere. Only the feeling of respect towards women will create a fear-free social environment. The confidence that girls will get in such an environment will take our country to new heights”.
The President also shared that, “whenever we have respected the talent of women, they have never disappointed us. We cannot forget the contribution of eminent personalities like Sarojini Naidu, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Sucheta Kriplani and Hansaben Mehta, who were members of the Constituent Assembly. There are many such examples where women have not only achieved the highest position by earning fame on the strength of their intelligence, wisdom and knowledge but also increased the prestige of the country and society. Be it science, sports, politics or social service – in all of the fields, women have earned respect for their talent”.
The President quoted that when India is moving towards becoming the third largest economy of the world, the participation of women in the workforce of the country should increase rapidly. She pointed out that not only in India but also in other countries, one of the reasons for low participation of women in the workforce is the belief that women will take leave to look after their children or will be able to pay less attention to work. But this thinking is not correct. We have to ask ourselves whether society has no responsibility towards children. We all know that the first teacher in the family is the mother. If a mother takes leave to look after children, then this endeavour of hers is also for the betterment of the society. A mother can make her child an ideal citizen through her efforts.
The President shared that, “a developed India could be built only on the strength of self-reliant, self-esteemed, independent and empowered women. The resolve of a developed India is the resolve of all of us, which we all have to fulfil together. Therefore, men must support women at every step in becoming strong, empowered and self-reliant. Women should move ahead in their lives with full confidence, dedication, and hard work and contribute to the development of the country and society”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a significant step in celebrating the immense contributions of women across India by handing over his social media platforms to women who are making remarkable strides in diverse fields. Shri Modi stated that, “since morning we saw inspiring posts by extraordinary women sharing their own journeys and inspiring other women. “Their determination and success remind us of the boundless potential women hold. Today and every day, we celebrate their contributions in shaping a Viksit Bharat. These women belong to different parts of India and have excelled in different areas, but there’s one underlying theme – the prowess of India’s Nari Shakti.
In an inspiring tribute to women’s power and achievement, PM Modi had handed over his social media platforms to women who are making a mark in diverse fields. Women achievers proudly took center stage to share their stories and insights on such social media platforms. Women achievers posted on X account of the Prime Minister: “Space technology, nuclear technology and women empowerment…We are Elina Mishra, a nuclear scientist and Shilpi Soni, a space scientist and we are thrilled to be helming the PM’s social media properties on #WomensDay. Our message- India is the most vibrant place for science and thus, we call upon more women to pursue it.” PM Modi reiterated commitment for ‘Women Empowerment’ on this day. PM Modi bows to Nari Shakti on International Women’s Day. He shares on X; “We bow to our Nari Shakti on #WomensDay! Our government has always worked for empowering women, reflecting in our schemes and programs”.
State sports Ministers, athletes and administrators joined Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in a special cycle rally to mark International Women’s Day at Kanha Shanti Vanam in Telangana. The rally was declared as a testament to Nari Shakti, showcasing the determination, leadership, and excellence of women in sports and beyond. Discussing India’s preparation for 2028 LA Olympics and the bid to host the 2036 Summer Games, the cycle rally drew keen interest.
To mark Women’s Day, Secretary (Sports) Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi and former Olympian and Badminton star Pulella Gopichand along with other prominent athletes launched the ASMITA newsletter, which captures the essence of ‘Sports For Women’ mission started by the government in 2021. The newsletter also highlights the amazing reach of ASMITA leagues and how they are transforming the lives of young women who are aspiring to take up sports as a career.
Former All-England champion Gopichand, who has coached Olympic medalists like Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, said: “As they say women have won more Olympic medals for India and it is only fair that they need to be promoted even more.” The cycling rally was led by the Hon’ble Sports Minister of Assam Shrimati Nandita Gorlosa, women trainees of the Gopichand badminton academy and para-athlete and a bronze medalist at the Paris Paralympics 2024, Deepthi Jeevanji.
India’s Gender-Neutral Mission to promote sports
ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women) is part of Khelo India’s gender neutral mission to promote sports among women through leagues and competition. As such, the Sports Authority of India supports National Sports Federations to conduct Khelo India women’s leagues across multiple age groups at both zonal and national levels.
Also, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying organized a virtual program to spread “Awareness on Zoonotic Diseases” through the Common Service Centers (CSC) network. Around 2050 camps organized by Village level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) across 21 States and UTs, joined virtually. More than 1 lakh livestock women farmer participants were given information about various zoonotic diseases, clean milk production, and the role of ethnoveterinary medicines in disease prevention by experts and veterinarians during the program. Participating women were guided to avail benefits of government schemes.
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Commencing teaching in his early twenties, Prof Aggarwal has diverse experience of great tenure in the top institutions not only as an educationist, administrator, editor, author but also promoting youth and its achievements through the nicest possible content framing. A revolutionary to the core, he is also keen to address the society around him for its betterment and growth on positive notes while imbibing the true team spirit the work force along with.
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