Army wives crusade for social empowerment

New Delhi, Apr 18 (UNI) Even as the Army's top Commanders meet here for a biannual review of their operational readiness and training, the Army Wives today commenced wide-ranging discussions on the essential elements of social responsibility and future areas for growth.

During the four-day Conference -- presided over by its President Mrs Anupama Singh, wife of Army Chief General JJ Singh, the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) would deliberate upon ways of fulfilling societal obligation, social empowerment and skill building charted by the organisation since its inception in 1960.

The agenda this time for the biannual AWWA Conference -- held simultaneously with the Army Commanders Conference -- includes concerns for quality pre-primary education, according to an official spokesperson.

Also on the agenda is the inauguration of an Information Resource Centre (IRC) and 'Shape One Gym'. The IRC -- the master information hub for varied data banks and website management -- is expected to encourage speedy interaction and response from various regions.

The Conference -- scheduled to conclude on April 21 -- is being attended by Presidents from the seven regional areas of AWWA -- one of the largest NGOs in the country.

Also slated is presentation of Awards for Excellence where five Army ladies will be honoured by the AWWA President. These are Mrs Rita Bhalla, a cancer survivor herself who has worked among cancer patients; Mrs DM Khare and Mrs Anuradha Dube, who have been the guiding force for the Army's programme aimed at ''Special Children with Different Abilities''; Mrs Paishola Shanglai for her efforts as a trainer for entreprenurial skills in Meghalaya; and Mrs Poonam Singhal for her untiring efforts for the rehabilitation of the 34 bereaved families of Army personnel who lost their lives in a bridge collapse at Kharo in Himachal Pradesh on September 8 last year.

UNI DG VD HT1757