Rodrigues advocates empowerment of rural women

Chandigarh, Oct 15 (UNI) On the occasion of World Rural Women's Day, Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Gen (Retd) S F Rodrigues, PVSM VSM today called for focused attention on the emancipation and socio-economic empowerment of rural women, through opportunities for better education, improved health and higher remuneration, for their contribution, in different fields of endeavour.

General Rodrigues emphasised the need for establishing a more responsive system for enhancing their dignity, honour and respect through an action oriented approach to help them earn recognition in the multiple roles they perform in the society.

He said that rural women constitute a vital segment in our society and help in giving a boost to the rural economy, besides looking after the domestic responsibilities.

"It is a matter of serious concern and introspection for all of us, that the rural women, who constitute over 25 per cent of the world's total population, are deprived of their fundamental rights of education and a participative role in our social system." "It is, therefore, imperative for all of us to sensitise both the administrative machinery and the public to their crucial, yet largely unrecognised roles, and to be responsive to the issues concerning women and to tackle the problems faced by them on priority basis in our day to day life," He added.

"The Indian Constitution provides a member of legal and administrative remedies and the Central and State Governments have set up National and State level Commissions and Welfare Councils, for ameliorating the lot of women, but the goals have not been achieved mainly because of a lack of the desired social and community support. The need of the hour is, therefore, to activate international, national and state level social voluntary agencies, to generate mass awareness by reaching out to each and every home." With a view to make poor rural and urban women economically self-reliant, General Rodrigues said that the Chandigarh Administration had undertaken various steps for providing them training in various income generating programmes, like cutting and tailoring, beauty culture, computer course, arts and craft and to extend them loan facilities, on easy terms, for setting up their vocations.

He said that the Administration had also launched revolutionary programmes for maternal and child health and checking child abuse, by involving NGOs and social activists.

General Rodrigues appealed to the social voluntary organisations and people alike, to make it a mass movement to jointly promote the interests of rural women and make them equal partners in socio-economic and development process.

UNI