National Women's Parliament at Goa@60 event witnessed evocative discussions on importance of women in political systems and government, stressed on inclusive government for inclusive growth

- More than 5000 women participated in this mega event celebrating women in democracy

PANJIM, India, Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2nd day of Goa Legislative Assembly's and MIT School of Government's (MIT-SOG) conclave on National Women's Parliament within the momentous Goa@60 event, was graced by the presence of Shri Pramod Sawant, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Government of Goa; Smt Darshana Jardosh, Union State Minister of Railways and Textile, Government of India;  Smt Rekha Sharma, Hon'ble Chairperson of National Commission for Women; Isidore Fernandes, Hon'ble Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly; Vinay Tendulkar, Hon'ble Member of Parliament – Rajya Sabha; Jennifer Monserrate, Hon'ble Minister for Revenue, Information Technology and Labour & Employment, Government of Goa and Shri Nilesh Cabral, Hon'ble Minister of Power, Government of Goa. The sessions emphasized on women empowerment through their increased participation in political systems and government. Women make up 48.5% of India's population. Their presence in key decision-making positions—be it law-making, governance, law enforcement or corporate leadership is fundamental for an inclusive and vibrant democracy. 

Shri Pramod Sawant, Hon'ble Chief Minister for Goa said, "Women are at the forefront of change and we as a government are creating opportunities for women through help of schemes that empower these women coming from all walks of life. We want the women of our state to become technocrats of the future and for that purpose; we have invested in technical institutions while keeping the tuition fee for them nominal so that women coming from any socio-economic background can live their dreams without financial hesitations."

The role of women in shaping a vibrant democracy like India is immense and Shri. Rahul V. Karad, Managing Trustee & Executive President, MAEER's MIT and Executive President, MIT World Peace University & Chief Initiator, MIT School of Government, has always been a proponent of improving women representation in political system and governance. Initiatives like the National Women's Parliament act as forums of excellence which establish a connect between women from diverse backgrounds by giving them a platform for deliberations, discussion, debates and mentoring. Platforms like National Women Parliament instill a feeling of empowerment among women who find themselves under represented at all levels of decision making.

Shri Rahul V. Karad, while administering the oath to participants of this august parliament, said, "We take a pledge to work for women empowerment, protection, and development. We will collectively work to make each and every section of society aware about challenges that women face and we will make sure that schemes that are being implemented for women, reach women by creating awareness about it. We appreciate the Government of Goa for the steps undertaken for empowering the women of the state of Goa and we hope that other states should come forward to host such parliaments that allows women from diverse backgrounds to identify, discuss, and come up with solutions to the problems they face."

Smt Darshana Jardosh, Union State Minister of Railways and Textile, Government of India said, "Women are born all-rounders. They have inherently learnt to maintain a work-life balance. Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi's vision of women-led development has increased the focus on women empowerment even further. PM Modi not only envisioned it but led by example by giving important portfolios like Finance and Defence to women. By having 11 women ministers in the cabinet, the highest in the last 17 years, the government has set the tone for women empowerment. Schemes like MUDRA Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana have helped women to venture into entrepreneurship and made the banking system more inclusive."

Smt Rekha Sharma, Hon'ble Chairperson of National Commission for Women, said, "Women have broken barriers today. We don't see them restricted to household as it used to be or certain areas of work like teaching or nursing, but today we see women at the forefront of every profession. The social mindset that was prevalent in our society has no doubt changed leaps and bounds, but still there is a longer journey that women need to travel to fully achieve their rights. In India, we only have 14% women in legislation, which is a dismal figure. This needs to change because we have seen how more women in diverse professions have contributed in better decision making and are more inclusive and empathetic to the cause of their peers."

The session also saw the presence of other eminent dignitaries such as Mrs. Nishita Rajput – Social Activist, Ms. Bhakti Kulkarni - International Master/Women Grandmaster, Asian and Commonwealth Gold Medalist, Adv. Preeti Bhardwaj Dalal - Chairperson (Acting), Haryana State Commission for Women, Dr. Harshita Pandey - Advisor, National Commission for Women, Former Chairperson, CG State Women Council, Adv. Radhilu Chai (Techi) – Chairperson, Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women, Smt Sayonara Telles Laad – Member Secretary (District Judge Cadre), Goa State Legal Services Authority,  Dr. Sneha Gitte, IAS, Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya - Senior Public Sector Banker, Chairman, SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) India, Chairperson, Salesforce India, Former Chairman, State Bank of India, Dr. Jagat Shah - Founder of Mentor on Road, Smart Village, Global Network, Cluster Pulse, Vibrant Markets, Global Network Institute, Smt Hema Sardesai - Playback Singer, Smt Mrinal Kulkarni - Actress & Director and Smt Meena Goltekar - Project Director & Ex-Officio Joint Secretary(RD), District Rural Development Agency, North Goa District.

More than 5000 women across India actively participated in National Women's Parliament. NWP is a platform that designed to enable and encourage the social, political, technological and economic upliftment of women in different strata of the society for their greater representation and participation in decision making processes in all arenas of life.

About MIT School of Government (MIT-SOG): 

The MIT School of Government (MIT-SOG), a constituent unit of MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU), Pune, is the first institute of its kind to initiate a two-year Master's degree program in Political Leadership & Government or MPG (UGC-approved program) for a Career in Politics. MIT-SOG was initiated in the year 2005 under the visionary leadership of Shri. Rahul V. Karad – Initiator & Executive President, MIT World Peace University with the vision of creating Ethical, Spirited, and Committed Political Leadership for the country from the grassroots and from all walks of life. Under the able guidance of Late. Shri. T.N Seshan, First Chairman, MIT-SOG, former Chief-Election Commissioner of India (also well known as the Father of Electoral Reforms in India), the curriculum for MPG program at MIT-SOG was designed with the complete involvement of highly decorated officials from Government, Politics, Judiciary, Media and Academia. MIT-SOG specifically caters to the need for training students in politics & government in order to become trained Political Leaders of the country.

Quotes:

Mrs. Nishita Rajput, Social Activist, said, "Self-doubt can be a great impediment to women empowerment. Women should never be afraid to fail. Either they succeed or get an experience of a lifetime."

Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya, Senior Public Sector Banker, Chairman, SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) India, Chairperson, Salesforce India, Former Chairman, State Bank of India, said, "For women to be empowered it is important for families to give an equal upbringing to both their sons and daughter. Empowerment of women will start from home itself. If women at home are nurtured and enable to become economically independent then it will lead to the entire family becoming empowered."

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