“Aagnya,” Seminar For Women Inaugurated
Uma Kannan, secretary, Thiagarajar College, Madurai, speaking at ‘Aagnya,’ a seminar organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry in Coimbatore. Education, especially for rural women, will help in empowering them, according to Uma Kannan, Secretary of Thiagarajar College. Inaugurating “Aagnya,” a seminar for women organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), here on Saturday she said that investing in human capital helped in sustainable development.
In urban areas, women had excelled if given an opportunity. In the country, women had stormed into male bastions in various professions. The women literacy rate in the country was 54.16 per cent. There were still gender disparities in various areas such as political rights, economic priorities, etc.
Women continued to be deprived, especially in rural areas, despite development around them. In rural schools, the enrolment of girls was low and the dropout was high. This threatened development. Educating and empowering rural women was important. This would help in social development by reducing infanticide, etc. More girls from rural areas should be encouraged to take up science and engineering courses. They should be inspired for self-development. Women in rural areas needed education, good environment and encouragement, she said.
Seminars such as these brought together resources from various fields. The CII could identify a group of schools in rural areas and women could volunteer to do mentoring in these schools. Kezevino Aram, Director of Shanti Ashram, said women in the country today were better off than what they were six decades ago. Yet, not every woman had opportunity to lead a life of dignity. “Deprivation is not just numbers but human stories.” She stressed the need for efforts to empower women. Women should have the confidence and energy to be agents of change.
They should have responsibility with rights. And, women should have the courage to continue what was good in our culture and to innovate when necessary, she said. Nandini Rangaswamy, chairperson of Aagnya and Managing Director of Chandra Textiles, said this was the first such event in Coimbatore for women. It intended to shape the minds of young women to attain their goals. CII Coimbatore chairman C.N. Ashok spoke about the initiatives of the confederation, especially for youth.
