‘Women’s role paramount’

Vijayawada: National Women’s Parliament (NWP), India’s first convention to connect over 10,000 socio-politically sensitive girl students of higher education with 3,401 women legislators,91 women members of Parliament and 300 social/corporate women leaders of India and overseas is scheduled to be held at Pavitra Sangamam in Amaravati between February 10-12.

The idea to conduct this conclave, which is first of its kind in India, was the brain child of AP Assembly Speaker Dr Kodela Siva Prasada Rao. In an exclusive interview to The Hans India he shared the objectives of conducting NWP.

“The prime objective of conducting National Women`s Parliament is to eradicate discrimination against women and to create equal opportunities to them.

The women are not backward compared to men. They are equally intellectual. Any country will develop only if the women got empowerment. Enough is enough.

Eve teasing, dowry harassment, sexual harassment, acid attacks have become common phenomena in our country. A single incident pertaining to attack on a woman is creating severe effect on them in society. The problem should be solved somewhere,” he said.

Commenting on the present situation, he added: “The women in our country face a lot of turbulence and they are deprived of their equal rights.

It is high time that we find some permanent solution to end the discrimination towards women. We have to give them confidence as well opportunities for their progress in all fields.”

On how he struck upon the concept of NWP, Dr Rao said: “When I got the idea to assemble all the women parliamentarians on a common platform and to find a solution to the problems and discrimination being faced by the women in our country, the state government came forward and supported it.

National Women’s Parliament will be a common platform for women from diverse background like politics, social sector, education, sports, industry, media, cinema, arts culture, judiciary and young aspiring girl students to stage their experiences, share knowledge and research in the area of women’s social economic and political empowerment.”

Event Highlights
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the session through live video conference and several women celebrities and eminent personalities are going to participate.

Those women who reached heights in their life and become as role models to the society after lot of sufferings will also present in the conclave.

Eminent women like Justice G Rohini, CJ of Delhi High Court, Ms Cama Sanda Kaba, minister from Guinea, West Africa, Aruna Miller, US Senator, Kiran Bedi, Lt Governor, Puducherry and several others will deliver inspirational speeches which will create confidence among the deprived women.

Half of the three-day session will confine to messages by the eminent personalities. The remaining sessions will discuss on some selected subjects in round table conferences, where the participants will share their experiences and suggest remedies for the evils of the society.

This conclave will have dedicated and meaningful mentor-mentee sessions so as to make it as sustainable for long term empowerment strategy.

After compiling all the suggestions the women participants will adopt resolutions for giving better life and equal opportunities to the women in the country.

The National Women’s Parliament will declare Amaravati Declaration for Women Empowerment in the country. The declaration will become a bench mark for all the states which have to implement those guidelines for women empowerment and equal opportunities to the women in their states.

“This summit is a non political one. It is irrespective of caste, religion and creed. The conclave is meant to discuss only the problems, discrimination, non- empowerment being suffered by women of this country.

I hope these meaningful deliberations will find a fruitful solution to the women of this country,” the AP Assembly Speaker concluded.