In a first, the Union government is preparing a 10-day campaign for the International Women’s Day, with plans to organise seminars, workshops and Ted Talks across the country. March 8 is observed as International Women’s Day. The international theme for Women’s Day this year is “Each for Equal” striving for a gender-equal world. The government, it is learnt, has asked ministries and regional centres to organise programmes on designated days. For the first seven days of March, the campaign will be on seven identified themes: education, health and nutrition, empowerment of women, skills and entrepreneurship and participation in sports, special circumstances (divyang, northeast, islands, tribal), rural women and agriculture, and urban women. The empowerment theme will celebrate women in the armed and police forces, mining, the ISRO, women in leadership positions, and security. On March 6, when the theme is rural women, the focus will be on inventions by women, organic food processing, cash benefits through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme to pregnant women, and cervical cancer and vasectomy through Ayushman Bharat. The following day, the theme of urban women will focus on best practices such as the Gujarat command and control centre for safety of women, according to information. A senior official from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said: “This is the first time the government is preparing to observe International Women’s Day at such a scale. This is Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani’s vision and she wants every ministry to organise functions on the relevant themes so that all aspects are covered. MPs, too, will be roped in to give Women’s Day messages, and every ministry will tweet on the issue between March 1 and 10, organise programmes, and publish articles in newspapers on women’s issues.” An amount of Rs 50 lakh, at the rate of Rs 10 lakh per DG zone of north, east, northeast, south and west, has been earmarked for the purpose, the official said. As per plan, 15 round table discussions, workshops, seminars and Ted Talks will be organised on these themes at various central universities and institutions across the country. A report on the campaign will have to be submitted to the I&B Ministry by March 11, officials said. Among the venues for the seminars, workshops, etc, are Anna University, Chennai; University College for Women, Hyderabad; Central University, Puducherry; Mysuru University; ISB, Hyderabad; AIIMS, Mangalagiri.
