22 Dec : Emphasising the need for empowerment of women, UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday suggested setting up of self-help groups to make the fair sex economically independent.Gandhi termed the economic dependence of women as a major impediment to the development of the country.
"Because of economic dependence on family, women are not able to put across their views on issues related to family and their own children and this could be overcome by providing them self sufficiency through self-help groups many of which are running successfully in Amethi and Rae Bareli districts," Gandhi said while launching the pilot project of Priyadarshani scheme of the Union Women and Child Welfare Ministry.
"The examples set by women have proved before the country that today women do not need development but for development they are needed," she said.
Gandhi said the scheme which is a new chapter in the field of women’s empowerment, has been named after former Prime Minster Indira Gandhi, who would be remembered with pride as a great leader of the 20th century.
The UPA Chairperson said that like former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who ensured women participation through Panchyati Raj, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also launched a number of schemes by setting up a separate Ministry of Women and Child Welfare.
She said a law against domestic violence has already been brought about besides a bill on women’s reservation has been tag successfully in Amethi and Rae Bareli districts," Gandhi said while launching the pilot project of Priyadarshani scheme of the Union Women and Child Welfare Ministry.
"The examples set by women have proved before the country that today women do not need development but for development they are needed," she said.
Gandhi said the scheme which is a new chapter in the field of women’s empowerment, has been named after former Prime Minster Indira Gandhi, who would be remembered with pride as a great leader of the 20th century.
The UPA Chairperson said that like former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who ensured women participation through Panchyati Raj, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also launched a number of schemes by setting up a separate Ministry of Women and Child Welfare.
She said a law against domestic violence has already been brought about besides a bill on women’s reservation has been tabled in Parliament.
Gandhi said self-help groups had provided a platform to the women to speak up about their problems and find solutions.
"Programmes such as these should be extended further as thousand of volunteers are needed to bring poor women together," she said referring to Priyadarshini scheme.
"Auraton ki baat Aurat hi kar sakti hai aur Garibon ki baat garib … Isliye is tarah ke karyakram avashyak hain (Only a woman can talk about women’s issues and a poor man about poverty)," Gandhi said.
The pilot project of Priyadarshani scheme with the help of NABARD would be started in four districts -Sultanpur, Rae Bareli, Shravasti, Bahraichof Uttar Pradesh and two districts Madhubani and Sitamadi of Bihar.
The project would be of eight years duration in which two blocks would be selected in each district where 600 groups would be constituted in every block to impart training to women to develop entrepreneurship skills in them.