Women should become economically, socially self-empowered: Collector Venkataramana Reddy

Tirupati: Various programmes marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Friday. At a programme held at the Collectorate, District Collector K Venkataramana Reddy flagged off an awareness rally and said that women should be economically and socially self-empowered making use of the rights provided by the constitution and with government's cooperation.

He felt that there should be an end to the gender discrimination by organising rallies and awareness programmes from village level to educate women on the programmes being implemented by the Central and state governments. Public representatives should be made part of these programmes. Irrespective of male-female discrimination, everyone should fight for the rights and 50 per cent of women reservations should be utilised. Women should make use of the opportunities and attain equality in future, he wished.

The Collector administered oath by the all women saying that they will not show discrimination between male and female child, that they were against the child marriages and domestic violence. Similarly, he administered oath by men saying that they will be against the violence on women and will respect women. DRDA PD AD Jyothi, MEPMA PD Radhamma, Women and Child welfare officer Jayalakshmi, DPO Rajasekhar Reddy and DEO Dr V Sekhar and others participated.

AIDWA members also held a rally from Balaji colony to NTR statue and formed a human chain with students. Speaking on the occasion, AIDWA district president and secretary M Jayanthi and Dr P Sai Lakshmi said that the government has failed in preventing atrocities against women and demanded stringent action against those, who were involved in such atrocities. DYFI state vice president S Jaya Chandra, Suresh, Bhaskar and others were present.

The women studies centre of SV University conducted an awareness programme on the occasion in which Principal Prof Padmanabham, Deans Prof BV Muralidhar, Prof K Sudha Rani, Prof D Krishnamoorthy, K Manjula and others participated. They condemned the atrocities on women and felt that the prevention of violence should start from families.