‘Education the way to empowerment of women’

Women can not be empowered just by the formulation of laws or through economic independence,the minister said. “Education is the ultimate empowerment that we need to give to women,” she added.

Commenting on the 33 per cent reservation for women in national and state legislative bodies,she pointed out,“In local bodies,women actually form 33 percent of the composition. I personally look upon it as a right for women.”

The AIWC community college programme,which was inaugurated in August last year in association with the Indira Gandhi National Open University,has been a success. The college has sought to develop skills of school dropouts through professional courses. Of the 94 students enrolled in the first session,82 successfully completed the course; many of them have found employment.

The minister also released a report on ‘Sensitisation of women bidi workers and intervention for alternate vocations’ at the session. The programme was conducted in West Bengal,Madhya Pradesh,Bihar,Jharkhand,Maharashtra,Orissa and Tamil Nadu to raise awareness among women bidi workers about health hazards.

—Reporters are students of EXIMS