Page 2 - Women Empowerment

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 ...

China, Iran urge Afghanistan to end work related restrictions on women

China and Iran have urged mutual neighbour Afghanistan to end restrictions on women's work and education. The call came in a joint statement Thursday issued at the close of a visit to Beijing by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during which the two sides affirmed close economic and political ties and their rejection of Western standards of human rights and democracy. Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has banned women and girls from universities and schools after the sixth grade and forced out those in elected offices and other prominent positions. The two sides ... called on the Afghan rulers to form an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups and political groups actually participate, and cancel all discriminatory measures against women, ethnic minorities and other religions," the statement said, adding that the US and its NATO allies should be responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan." The US had backed Afghanistan's elected government ..

Women power: The optics and politics

Adherence to gender diversity rules alone is not good enough. To comply with a corporate governance mandate is one thing, but to give opportunity to talented women quite another

Women can take any responsibility; gender disparity being shattered: Prez

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday noted that woman have excelled in every sphere of life, be it politics, space science, technology, sports, literature and music. Women have proved that they are capable of shouldering any responsibility, involving the society as well as the country as a whole, she said, addressing the second convocation ceremony of her alma mater, the Rama Devi Women's University (RDWU), here. Murmu, who is in her home state on a two-day visit, said, "Gender discriminations that created social disparities have been shattered. Be it politics, defense, space science, technology, sports, literature, music or arts, women have excelled in every realm of life. For the first time in the history of Parliament, there are more than 100 MPs," the President pointed out. Walking down the memory lane, the President, who hails from remote Rairangpur area in trial-dominated Mayurbhanj district, stated that the lessons she learned and experiences she gained in her college has helpe

FM announces savings scheme for women with 7.5% interest rate for 2 years

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Wednesday announced a 'Mahila Samman Saving Certificate' with a fixed interest rate of 7.5 per cent for two years. The deposit can be made in the name of a woman or a girl child. The maximum deposit amount has been kept at Rs 2 lakh and the scheme will have a partial withdrawal facility as well. "One-time new small saving under 'Mahila Samman Saving Patra'. The deposit facility for the women and girls will be for a period of two years with a rate of interest of 7.5 per cent," Sitharaman announced. She also said that for the economic empowerment of women under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihood Mission, 81 lakh self-help groups have been created by mobilising rural women. "We will enable these groups to reach the next stage of economic empowerment through the formation of large producer enterprises or collectives with each having several thousand members," she said. Financial assistance of more than Rs 2.25 lakh crore

Union Budget: 'Allocate funds to encourage women's participation in sports'

India's Union Budget for 2023-24 must lay emphasis on strengthening country's sports infrastructure in non-metro cities, improving girl's participation in sport and investing in young sportspersons at the grassroots level, said sports scholar & team owner of Gurgaon InCredibles at LastManStands, Aman Dhall in his pre-budget expectation from the government.

Will always fight for women empowerment: CM Dhami on 30% reservation bill

Earlier in Nov, the SC, in an interim order, stayed the Uttarakhand HC order which had put on hold the government's decision to provide 30% reservation to women domiciled in State civil services

Efforts made to increase women representation in govt jobs: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said the Centre has made concerted efforts to increase the representation of women in central government jobs and provide them a balance between professional and family life. He said the reforms in governance introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi provide an enabling environment for working women and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is implementing them. The minister of state for personnel said it has been decided to grant special maternity leave of 60 days to women central government personnel in case of death of a child soon after birth or stillbirth keeping in view the potential emotional trauma. Singh said in continuation of 730 days of child care leave (CCL), some new measures have also been taken. These include grant of leave travel concession by the employee while she is on CCL, he said and added that the employee can also undertake foreign travel after taking clearances from appropriate authorities in advance. The

Sitharaman disburses loans to street vendors, small scale entrepreneurs

Loans worth Rs 2,500 crore were given in a single day to street vendors, small scale entrepreneurs and cattle rearers at a credit outreach program here on Sunday. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla handed over the cheques to some beneficiaries. Officials said others will receive their loan amounts during the course of the day. The loans were given under schemes like Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana, Mudra Yojana and Pashupalak Kisan Credit Card. Addressing the event at Dusshera Ground here, Sitharaman said the prime minister himself has given guarantee for loans under the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana, so one does not need to produce any document for guarantee. Loans of at least Rs 68 crore are going to be distributed among cattle rearers (Pashupalaks), she added. Many others are being given credit sanction for various business and agriculture purposes, she said. The finance minister also urged women to form Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO

Chennai, Southern cities top in terms of women employment: Report

Six cities from the region rank among the Top 10 in terms of women's employment

Rajasthan has made big contributions to women's empowerment: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a two-day tour to Rajasthan, inaugurated the first of its kind Constitution Park

Science should be empowered with women's participation: PM Modi at ISC

Asserting the importance of science in making India Atmanirbhar PM Modi said that the efforts of Science can bear fruit only when they go from labs to land

We should quickly move ahead to stage of women-led development: President

"A truly 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', pre-supposes 'Atmanirbhar Nari'"

Navy to open all branches for women from next year: Chief of Naval Staff

The Indian Navy is looking at opening all its branches for women from next year, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference a day ahead of the Navy Day, Admiral Kumar also said that the first batch of around 3,000 'Agniveers' has been inducted and it included 341 women. In December last year, Navy officials said 28 women officers were deployed on board around 15 frontline warships, including aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, and the number is set to go up. "The first batch of Agniveers have already reported. About 3,000 Agniveers have joined out of which 341 are women. This is a landmark event for us because for the first time, the Navy is inducting women sailors. We have been inducting women officers for about the last 16-17 years, but this is for the first time that we are inducting women sailors," Admiral Kumar said. He said the Navy will open all its branches to women officers from next year. "Come next year, we are looking at wo