Page 8 - Women

Women-led development deliberations take centre stage at G20: Irani

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said thanks to his vision women-led development had become a subject of deliberations during the G20 leadership meetings for the first time. She was addressing a press conference here on the outcomes of the 'Ministerial Conference on Women's Empowerment', which concluded at Mahatma Mandir during the day. "Before India took over the G20 presidency, women-related subjects were never at the centre of discussions. Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, for the first time in the history of G20, women-led development became a subject of deliberations during G20 leadership meetings. For the first time, women-led agenda was central to the discussion in G20," Irani said. In the past, G20 never saw participation of women from rural or humble backgrounds, but under India's presidency, such women have now found a voice in G20, the Union Women and Child Development minister added. "The Indian G20 presidenc

Demand for women apprentices surges 3-fold in manufacturing sector: Report

With the manufacturing sector, traditionally dominated by men, actively working to enhance its diversity and inclusion (D&I), the demand for women apprentices witnessed a threefold increase in the first quarter of this financial year, a report said on Thursday. According to the latest data from TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, the demand for women apprentices experienced a threefold increase (equivalent to 500 per cent) in the first quarter of FY24, when compared to the last quarter of FY23. The encouraging trend is evident in various regions, including the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana, the Western states of Maharashtra, specifically in Aurangabad and Pune, and the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, the report noted. Employers across manufacturing sectors are now embracing gender neutrality in apprentice engagement, with an encouraging 51 per cent actively fostering equal opportunities for both men and women, it added. The report ..

PM Modi praises women of Niti-Mana Valley in U'khand during 'Mann ki Baat'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has heaped praise on the women of the Niti-Mana Valley near the India-China border in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district for developing Bhojpatra calligraphy as a means of livelihood. Showering praise on the women during the 103rd edition of "Mann ki Baat" that aired on Sunday, Modi said, "Bhojpatra, which is part of our cultural heritage, is filling the lives of women of the valley with new colours of prosperity." Bhojpatra, on which the ancient epic of Mahabharata was written, is being used by women of the valley to make beautiful artefact and souvenirs, the prime minister said. The use of cultural heritage to strengthen the local economy deserves praise, he said. Bhojpatra artefact created by women from the Mana village in the region have become popular among tourists, Modi added. He recalled how, during his visit to the border village near Badrinath in October, a woman gifted him a beautiful piece of Bhojpatra calligraphy. "I had appealed to tourists

Women account for nearly 49% of beneficiaries of AB-PMJAY: Centre

The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has made a conscious effort to put women at the centre of the national conversation on health which has ensured their equal participation in it, the government informed Lok Sabha on Friday. In a written reply to a question, Union Minister of State for Health S P Singh Baghel said women account for approximately 49 per cent of Ayushman card recipients. Further, 141 health benefit packages under the health insurance scheme are exclusively earmarked for women, he said. Correspondingly, utilisation of scheme services by women stands at approximately 48 per cent of the total authorised hospital admissions, he said. A total of 4.78 crore and 9.22 crore Ayushman cards were created during 2019-20 and 2022-23, respectively, Baghel said in reply to a separate question. He added the number of Ayushman cards has significantly increased over the last years. Under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the government

In greed for power, BJP playing with women's respect, alleges Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that the BJP in its "greed for power" is playing with "women's respect" as well as the self-respect of the country. In a Facebook post, Gandhi shared a video montage built with media reports about incidents of sexual assault to attack the central government. The video referred to such incidents as the sexual assault on two women who were stripped and paraded by a mob in Manipur, alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers by outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, alleged killing of a woman in Uttarakhand in which the son of a BJP leader was accused, and the release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. "A country which does not respect its women can never progress. In the greed for power, the BJP is playing with both the respect of women as well as the self-respect of the country," the former Congress president said in his post in Hindi. Gandhi's remarks come amid the opposition's continued attack on the government

Women workers to be impacted more than men by AI wave, says McKinsey

That's one of the takeaways from a new report by the research arm of consultants McKinsey & Co. that examines US labor-market trends through the end of 2030

Manipur incident unforgivable, says Mizoram State Commission for Women

The Mizoram State Commission for Women (MSCW) on Friday termed the Manipur incident as unforgivable. It wrote to the National Commission for Women and its Manipur counterpart urging them to take immediate action against the perpetrators of the gruesome crime, MSCW chairperson Lallawmchhungi said. "The commission is deeply concerned about the video in which two disrobed women are being forced to walk with hundreds of men behind them in Manipur. The act is unforgivable," she told reporters in Aizawl. "We appeal to people to immediately stop any form of violence against women," she said. The commission requested the menfolk of the Northeastern state not to use muscle power on women. Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked and constantly groped and molested by a mob. Manipur police said that four prime accused have been arrested till now in connection with the viral vid

Dhankhar reconstitutes RS panel of vice-chairpersons, half of them women

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday reconstituted the panel of vice-chairpersons of Parliament's upper house with half of them being women. The House members are informed that the panel of vice chairpersons has been reconstituted with effect from July 17, 2023, he said. Among the Rajya Sabha members who are the new vice-chairpersons are P T Usha, S Phangnon Konyak, Fauzia Khan, Sulata Deo, V Vijaysai Reddy, Ghanshyam Tiwari, L Hanumanthaiah and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray. "Members will be happy to note that 50 per cent of vice-chairpersons happen to be women," the chairman said. As per Rajya Sabha rules, "The chairman shall, from time to time, nominate from amongst the members of the Council a panel of not more than six vice-chairmen, one of whom may preside over the Council in the absence of the chairman and the deputy chairman when so requested by the chairman, or in his absence, by the deputy chairman." A vice-chairperson nominated under sub-rule (1) shall hold office un

Taliban uses tasers to break up Afghan women protesting beauty salon ban

Dozens of Afghan women protested a beauty salon ban on Wednesday after the Taliban ordered their closure nationwide. Security forces used fire hoses, tasers and shot their guns into the air to break up the protest. The Taliban said earlier this month they were giving all salons in Afghanistan one month to wind down their businesses and close shop, drawing concern from international officials worried about the impact on female entrepreneurs. The Taliban say they are outlawing salons allegedly because they offer services forbidden by Islam and cause economic hardship for grooms' families during wedding festivities. The ruling came from the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, following edicts barring them from education, public spaces and most forms of employment. In a rare sign of public opposition to Taliban orders, dozens of beauticians and makeup artists gathered in the capital of Kabul to protest the ban. W

26 Oppn parties demand caste census, vow to fight crimes against minorities

A group of 26 opposition parties on Tuesday demanded the implementation of the caste census while asserting that they have come together to defeat the "hatred and violence being manufactured against minorities" as well as "rising crimes against women, Dalits, tribals and Kashmiri Pandits". The opposition alliance that will take on the ruling NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be called Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and an 11-member committee will be set up for coordination, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced after a meeting of the parties here. In their 'Samuhik Sankalp (joint resolution)' released after the meeting, the parties expressed their steadfast resolve to safeguard the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution. "The character of our republic is being severely assaulted in a systematic manner by the BJP. We are at a most crucial juncture in our nation's history. The foundational pillars of the Indian Constitution secular .

ELGi Equipments brings all-women workforce at 2 assembly lines in TN unit

Elgi Equipments Ltd, manufacturer of air compressors, has introduced assembly lines at its unit in Tamil Nadu entirely operated by women workforce, the company said on Tuesday. The Coimbatore-based company, in a statement, said it reiterates commitment towards building a gender-diverse, inclusive workforce through women empowerment and skill development. Twenty women employees would be managing the air-end assembly line, encapsulated air-end assembly line and the ELGi new generation compressor top block assembly line at the company's ELGi Air Centre in Coimbatore. After obtaining graduation on a three-year technical training programme comprising modules on machining, welding, electrical work, engineering and production technologies at ELGi Vocational Training School, the women candidates were directly recruited at the facility, ELGi Equipments said. "In line with ELGi's focus on fostering a safe and healthy work environment, every woman working on the shop floor has received ...

Domestic automakers accelerate employment of women in shop floors

Homegrown automakers Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland and Hero MotoCorp are accelerating the drive to employ more women in shop floors as they press hard on the pedal to enhance diversity. Once outsiders but no longer, thousands of women are now rolling out from two-wheelers to popular SUVs and heavy commercial vehicles across different factories of these companies. Tata Motors has over 4,500 women working in the shop floors across six manufacturing plants, including an all-women line at its Pune facility with over 1,500 of them producing popular SUVs such as Harrier and Safari. "We are an equal opportunity employer and believe a gender-balanced workforce leads to increased productivity, better decisions, enhanced collaboration, and more innovative ideas. Our focus is on enhancing diversity, especially on the shop floor and 25 per cent of all our new recruits are women," Tata Motors Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP told PTI. He further said, ...

Taliban leader claims women provided with comfortable, prosperous life

The supreme leader of the Taliban released a message on Sunday claiming that his government has taken the necessary steps for the betterment of women's lives in Afghanistan, where women are banned from public life and work and girls' education is severely curtailed. The statement from Hibatullah Akhundzada was made public ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday, which will be celebrated later this week in Afghanistan and other Islamic countries. Akhundzada, an Islamic scholar, rarely appears in public or leaves the Taliban heartland in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province. He surrounds himself with other religious scholars and allies who oppose education and work for women. In his Eid message Akhundzada said that under the rule of the Islamic Emirate, concrete measures have been taken to save women from many traditional oppressions, including forced marriages, "and their Shariah rights have been protected. Moreover, necessary steps have been taken for the betterment of women as half o

Women's public presence in Afghanistan totally erased by Taliban: UN

Irene Khan said in a report that women's rights groups play an important role in the struggle for gender equality and in promoting the agency of women

Army exposes ISI's move to involve women, juveniles in terror network

A 'dangerous move' by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and heads of terror groups to rope in women and juveniles to carry weapons and messages has come to light amid a decline in the use of traditional means of communication by terrorists in Kashmir valley, a top army officer has said. The General Officer Commanding of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, also known as Chinar Corps, Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Aujla also said the forces need to be cautious as people sitting across the Line of Control (LoC) are busy scheming and planning to disturb the prevailing peaceful atmosphere. "Today's threat, as I see it, is involving women, girls and juveniles in carrying messages, drugs or, at times, weapons. So far, the army has detected some cases highlighting an emerging trend which in itself is a dangerous move that Pakistan's ISI and heads of 'tanzeems' (terror groups) have adopted. We, along with other agencies, are jointly working out on this," Lt Gen Aujla told PTI. Asked if it means that

Women now behind the wheel of MSRTC buses for first time in 75 years

The women drivers who possessed the heavy vehicle licence underwent rigorous training of three months, while those who did not have this licence underwent training for a full year, the report said

Himachal abolishes income limit for women's social security pension: Sukhu

The Chief Minister said that he government was committed to ensure welfare of every section of society, particularly the under-privileged groups

K'taka issues orders for 'Shakti' scheme offering free bus ride to women

The Karnataka government on Monday issued orders for the implementation of 'Shakti' scheme under which women can avail free travel in state-run buses with certain conditions, including reservation of 50 per cent seats for men, from June 11. The Congress in its election manifesto had promised free rides for women in government buses and said this was one of the five poll guarantees that would come into effect the day it comes to power in the state. According to the order, the beneficiaries of the scheme should be a domicile of Karnataka. Along with women, transgenders can also make use of the 'Shakti' scheme. The beneficiaries of this scheme can travel only within the state and not in any inter-state buses. All luxury buses such as Rajahamsa, Non-AC sleeper, Vajra, Vayu Vajra, Airavat, Airavat Club Class, Airavat Gold Class, Ambari, Ambari Dream Class, Ambari Utsav Fly Bus, EV Power Plus have been excluded from the purview of the scheme. The government said the benefits of the sche

Pay packages shrink for the few women who sit atop S&P 500 firms

The AP's and Equilar's compensation study included pay data for 343 CEOs at S and P 500 companies who have served at least two fiscal years at their companies

Out of 343 CEOs in S&P 500 companies, only 20 were women, shows study

AP and Equilar conducted a compensation survey of the S&P 500 companies