Women Transforming India campaign launched by NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog which is the prime think tank for the Union Government of India has launched 'Women Transforming India' initiative on the 8th of March the International Women's Day. This initiative is to celebrate women doers, leaders and change makers from across India.

This campaign was launched in partnership with the UN in India and MyGov. NITI Aayog sought to engage directly with women leaders from urban and rural India.

Thus it can be said that 'Women Transforming India' is an effort to collect successful stories of change brought in by women at the grassroots level within their own communities.

Entries sought:

For the campaign NITI Aayog is seeking entries in the form of written essays or stories in not more than 500 words.

NITI Aayog mentions that it would welcome entries which had photographs that set a context to the narrative. The criteria is that these stories should reflect how women broke new ground and empowered themselves or others or how they challenged stereotypes.

NITI Aayog seeks stories of change fostered through the setting up of small businesses or enterprises to generate livelihood opportunities for communities, challenging discriminatory practices or norms, or preserving the environment and responding to challenges of climate change.

Successes in leading change could have been achieved either through the use of technology or by employing innovating on-ground methods.

At present there are 157 submissions under review.

How to submit entries:

Entries must be submitted online (https://mygov.in/task/women-transforming-india-womentransform/) on or before March 31st, 2016. A shortlist of 8-10 best entries by a jury will be put to poll on MyGov.in to determine the top three entries. The final winning entry will be determined by a jury constituted by NITI Aayog.

What will winner receive:

Winning entries will receive a certificate of appreciation from NITI Aayog and the UN in India. Change makers may also have a chance to interact directly with policy makers in the Government of India, to enable affect positive policy action.

What NITI Aayog seeks to achieve:

NITI Aayog seeks to encourage and recognise women who have made a difference, particularly, by demonstrating leadership in the economic, socio-cultural and environmental front.

Spread across a period of over one month, the initiative will also sensitise citizens to gender issues and seek to promote gender equity and equality, through a variety of media.

Women Transforming India:

'Women Transforming India' is consistent with the government's renewed commitment to advancing gender equality. The many interventions including Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samridhi Yojana, Janani Suraksha Yojana are testimony to its resolve to empower and educate of girls, and to tackle discrimination against girls and women.

This initiative is also a step forward in furthering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have gender as a stand-alone goal. NITI Aayog has been entrusted with the responsibility to plan, monitor and coordinate SDG efforts across Central Ministries and State governments.