Page 12 - Women Empowerment

Indian Overseas Bank disburses loans worth Rs 5.02 cr to self-help groups

Public sector Indian Overseas Bank has disbursed Rs 5 crore worth of loans to self help groups during a campaign held in the city recently coinciding with the Women's Day celebrations, the bank said on Thursday. The women entrepreneur branch of Indian Overseas Bank in the city sanctioned loans worth Rs 1.53 crore during the campaign organised by Chennai-I Region and Chennai II and another financial institution. Loans to the tune of Rs 502.09 lakh were sanctioned and disbursed to 84 self-help grops across Chennai district, Indian Overseas Bank general manager Shubhendu Kumar Verma along with senior officials participated in the event on the occasion, a press release said here.

PM Modi to address inaugural session on 'Economic Empowerment of Women'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of the post-budget webinar on "Economic Empowerment of Women" on Friday. The webinar is being organised by Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Rural Development. It is part of a series of post-budget webinars being organised by the government with an aim to brainstorm and firm up pathways for sustainable growth of women-owned and women-led business enterprises, and develop a strategy and blueprint for implementation of the announcement, according to an official statement. Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Rural Development Giriraj Singh, Minister of State of Women and Child Development Mahendrabhai Munjpara will also join the inaugural session.

Maharashtra's new women's policy to be rolled out during Budget session

Maharashtra's new women's policy would be introduced during the ongoing Budget session of the state legislature, the government said on Wednesday. Women and Child Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly while replying to a debate on the issue. The debate on women's policy had been initiated in the House to mark International Women's Day. The state government will take note of all the suggestions put forth by the MLAs with regard to welfare, security and empowerment of women, Lodha said. The government will also table its performance report on decisions related to women empowerment regularly, he added. The new policy will be practical, he said, adding that a'tourist policy' for women will also be announced. A 'janata durbar' will be held for women at the district level every month where 50 complaints will be taken up, he said. A women's bazaar to promote products of Self-Help Groups has also been proposed every month in all ...

Women have played important role in nation building: HP Dy CM Agnihotri

Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Wednesday said women have always played a significant role in society and nation building. He said the International Women's Day is an opportunity to go beyond empowering women and honour the talent hidden in them. He said Himachal Pradesh is the land of God and our society has a tradition of giving respect to women. He said there has been a significant contribution of women in society and nation building. He was presiding over a district level programme organized at Lata Mangeshkar Kala Kendra here on the occasion of International Women's Day. He said lift, cameras, ropeway and escalator will be installed in all the temple premises across the state.

Dravidian model is for equality, women empowerment, says CM Stalin

The nation's growth is in the hands of women and all-round efforts are being made by the DMK regime for their empowerment, Chief Minister M K Stalin said here on Wednesday. The Dravidian model growth is all inclusive and it includes both men and women. Nothing is planned by excluding women, Stalin said in his International Women's Day address at the Ethiraj College for Women. The initiative to appoint aspirants from all castes as priests in temples includes a woman as well and that is Dravidian model. Following the footsteps of reformist leaders, initiatives and schemes for women empowerment were being implemented by the DMK government, Stalin said and added that the nation's growth is in the hands of women. Equal rights for women in family properties (1989) and present increase in reservation for women in government jobs to 40 percent from 30 percent featured in a list of initiatives underlined by the Chief Minister. The Dr Muthulakshmi Maternity Benefit Scheme aimed at ensuring

Centre wants to make women members of SHGs lakhpati: Giriraj Singh

Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday said the government has resolved to make members of women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) lakhpatis. He was speaking after inaugurating a one-day workshop of women and an exhibition at Shahapur in Thane district. More than 25,000 women attended the function. "There are 86,000 SHGs in India which include 9 crore women. In the last eight years, the government has disbursed Rs 6.26 lakh crore to these women. It is the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make each and every member of SHGs a lakhpati. We are working in that direction. 'Lakhpati Didi' programme is being implemented in the country," he said. Singh said the income of women members of SHGs in Thane district will go up and the GDP of the district will improve.

JSP leader Pawan Kalyan demands 33% reservation for women in legislatures

Wishing all women on the day, he assured them that he will continue his political efforts to achieve 33 per cent reservation

Orion Innovation commits to increase women employee in India by 15%

Digital transformation and product development services firm, Orion Innovation has committed to increase the women employee base in the country by 15 per cent, the company said on Wednesday. Orion reported a 25 per cent growth in the India headcount currently at 2,500. The company further aims to increase the headcount to over 5,000 by 2025. "We are excited to announce our commitment to increasing the headcount of women employees in India. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace is critical to the success of any organisation." Orion Innovation HR Head India, Arun Paul said in a statement here. "Our goal is to attract and retain the best talent in the industry and we believe that creating a work environment that supports and empowers women professionals is crucial to achieving this goal," he said. With this commitment, Orion Innovation aims to not only increase India headcount but also create a more diverse and inclusive workplace, he said. Last month Orion Innovation sai

India's confectionery 'queen' tells women to dream big, follow their hearts

The construction of Italy's Milan cathedral tells a story of faith and art spanning over six centuries, and the making of its 100-kg architecturally detailed replica, in royal icing medium, over a period of one month by this Indian cake artist was also no mean feat. Meet Prachi Dhabal Deb, who began her career as a financial analyst, but found her heart in the field of confectionery art. In the last ten years, she has set two world records and wowed experts and ordinary people alike with her body of exquisite works, endowed with smallest of details, all in fully edible medium. Pune-based Deb says creation of the replica of the Milan cathedral is by far her biggest, in terms of scale, and it fetched her a place in the prestigious World Book of Records in 2022. Work on the construction of Milan cathedral began in 1386 when the style of Gothic cathedrals had reached its peak. "It was a labour of love, creating a replica of this architectural masterpiece in royal icing medium with Goth

Corporates must adopt policies to nurture women employees' career: Colliers

To encourage women participation in formal workforce, real estate consultant Colliers India has suggested that corporates should adopt HR policies that nurture career of female employees while the design of offices should embrace diversity. It suggested corporates to have offices centrally located, adopt hybrid working model and provide child care facilities, among other solutions. On the occasion of International Women's Day, Colliers India has come out with a report 'Designing Workplaces for Women'. The report gives recommendations to create more inclusive and women-friendly workplaces. "India has a higher proportion of employable women at about 52 per cent, but actual employed women workforce stands at an abysmal low," Collier India CEO Ramesh Nair said. "Equality at workplaces comes from two aspects - policies that a company formulates that nurture women and their careers, and an office design that embraces inclusivity," he said. Nair pointed out that offices have been built f

Infosys partners with social organizations to bolster women empowerment

Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic and CSR arm of Infosys, on Tuesday said a grant of Rs 39.6 crore has been extended to social organisations to bolster women empowerment through education and employment in the country. The Foundation has "signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) in this financial year, with Avanti Fellows, Nirmaan Organization, and Shrimad Rajchandra Aatma Tatva Research Centre, to bolster women's empowerment in India," a company statement said. "These strategic collaborations are aimed at providing quality education and employment opportunities to women from underprivileged communities across the country." The Infosys Foundation's strategic collaboration for empowering women includes a grant of Rs 25.7 crore to Avanti Fellows to provide free engineering and medical test preparation for over 10,000 girl students in government schools across Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, North-East regions, and Delhi. A grant of Rs 4.

Govt to keep working to further women's empowerment: PM Modi on Women's Day

On International Women's Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the role of women in India's progress and said his government will keep working to further women's empowerment. "On International Women's Day, a tribute to the achievements of our Nari Shakti. We greatly cherish the role of women in India's progress," Modi said in a tweet. "Our government will keep working to further women empowerment," he said using the hashtag 'Nari Shakti for New India'. The prime minister also shared on Twitter a compilation of women achievers whose life journeys were chronicled in 'Mann Ki Baat'.

Telangana govt's schemes aim to promote women empowerment: CM KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday said his government is implementing a slew of welfare schemes and development programmes aiming to uplift women, empower them and enhance their dignity. The Chief Minister, who extended greetings to all women for 'International Women's Day,' said Telangana is emerging as the women welfare state through the implementation of welfare and development programmes aiming for the advancement and empowerment of women during the nine-year regime, according to a release from the CMO. The women community is honoured suitably by announcing a special holiday for women employees in the government on women's day, he said. Rao, also known as KCR, said the state government is safeguarding the girl child from the stage of growing in the mother's womb by implementing significant schemes from their birth, health, protection, welfare, education, marriage, development and empowerment of the child. The Chief Minister said the effective action plan .

Three women pilot global aircraft engine maker Pratt and Whitney in India

A glance of the International Women's Day programme to be held at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on Wednesday shows two women piloting the course of global aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney in India.

Women in Indian informal sector ready for lower wages for health benefits

There is a growing aspirational shift in the mindset of female representatives in the informal workforce, as a significant percentage of women said they are ready to compromise on higher salaries in lieu of health benefits, according to a survey. As per the survey by business service provider Quess Corp, 63 per cent of women in the Indian informal economy would compromise on salaries for health security benefits, compared to only 28 per cent of men. For the report, 4,179 respondents were surveyed between September 2022 and January 2023. For an increasing proportion of female employees, job security, training and career development are becoming absolute priorities even beyond the contents of their pay slips, it said. "We must acknowledge the value and contribution of women to India's informal formal economy, while simultaneously acknowledging that their requirements have now evolved. "India Inc must invest in training and skill development for better employability of women, helpin

Great strides made but much room for improvement, say women entrepreneurs

Aside from factors such as social stigma, gender biases, insufficient capacity building and access to actionable knowledge, a pressing challenge for women entrepreneurs is access to capital, especiall

Kerala, UN Women sign pact to boost women-friendly activities in tourism

The Kerala government on Sunday entered into an agreement with the United Nations (UN) Women to boost women-friendly activities in the State's tourism sector. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Kerala Tourism and UN Women India agreed to work towards promoting gender-inclusive tourism sites in the State. The MoU was signed by Kerala Tourism Director P B Nooh and UN Women India representative Susan Ferguson and it would be implemented by the Responsible Tourism Mission, a government release said. "As per the pact inked at the first-ever Global Responsible Tourism Summit in Kumarakom near this city, both parties will promote women-friendly tourism in Kerala. This will be done by creating modules and capacity-building of relevant stakeholders, besides providing advisory support for baseline research, implementing women-friendly tourist destinations and supporting interventions to change prevalent discriminatory social norms," the release said. Kerala Tourism Minister P A .

Good to see women diplomats, says Prez accepting credentials from envoys

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday accepted credentials from the envoys of five nations, including South Sudan and Seychelles, and said it was heartening to see experienced women diplomats taking such important responsibilities. Those who presented their credentials were Victoria Samuel Aru, Ambassador of the Republic of South Sudan, Issa Saleh Abdullah Saleh Al Shibani, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman, Javier Manuel Paulinich Velarde, Ambassador of the Republic of Peru, Lalatiana Accouche, High Commissioner of the Republic of Seychelles and Koy Kuong, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia, a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. While receiving credentials from Ambassador Victoria Aru of South Sudan and High Commissioner Lalatiana Accouche of Seychelles, President Murmu said it was heartening to see experienced women diplomats take on such important responsibilities. "A special day for women in diplomacy as President Murmu received credentials from Ambassador Victori

Housewife a nation builder: Kerala HC orders adequate compensation to woman

The Kerala High Court slammed the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) for denying compensation to an accident victim on the ground that she is a housewife and does not earn any income

Parents' support key to stop violence in live-in relationships: NCW chief

Parents should be supportive of their children in live-in relationships so that they do not hesitate to share their thoughts and feelings, NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said on Friday, amid the recent horrific murders of women by their live-in partners in the country. Pointing out the recent cases of brutal murders by partners in live-in relationships, National Commission for Women (NCW) chief said that it was seen in these cases that parents were not supportive of their children being in a live-in relationship. "In Nikky Yadav's case, the man's parents were putting pressure on him to get married. The parents must support their child's choice and respect it. Even in Shraddha's case, the family was not in touch with her," Sharma told PTI. She said parents must accept live-in relationships of their children. "Parents should be supportive of their children being in live-in relationships. We should also ensure we treat our children with respect and refrain from treating them as ...