Republic Day Parade 2022 showcased India’s military might and cultural diversity and many unique initiatives have been included to mark the celebration of the 75th year of Independence as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’…reports Asian Lite News
During the Republic Day parade at Rajpath in New Delhi, the Border Security Force’s (BSF) Seema Bhawani Motorcycle team put up a stunning display, presenting a salutation to the President.
During the display, the team did a Border Women Salute under Command of Inspector Himanshu Sirohi. Under Command of Sub Inspector Sonia Banwari, Single Kneeling was performed, while Chair Riding was performed under command of constable Anima Kumar. Fish Riding was performed under the command of constable Pushpa with another rider.
Under the command of constable Rajwinder Kaur with another rider, the double back riding was performed, while the opposite direction side riding double was performed under the command of constable Anupam Kumari with one other rider.
Further, the group performed the ladder formation under the command of constable Sangeeta Kumari, and the five women balance was performed under the command of constable Sumita Sikdar with four other riders.
The group then showcased the crown position under the command of constable Anita Rana with six other riders and the bullfighting formation under the command of constable Tulsi Rana and constable Sushma with two other riders.
Abhinandan, Exercise Bar, Gulistan, Aerobic, and the Pyramid formations were also showcased.
Republic Day Parade 2022 showcased India’s military might and cultural diversity and many unique initiatives have been included to mark the celebration of the 75th year of Independence as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
Special arrangements have been made keeping in view the current COVID-19 situation. The number of seats for spectators has been significantly reduced and people are being encouraged to register online to witness the live celebrations.
According to the Ministry of Defence, for the first time, an Indian Air Force (IAF) will show grand flypast by 75 aircraft or helicopters.
It has been decided that the Republic Day celebrations will now be week-long from January 23-30 every year. The celebrations will commence on January 23, the birth anniversary of great freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and culminate on January, 30 which is observed as Martyrs’ Day.
At Sunday’s Mass the pope installed six women and two men as lectors and three women and five men as catechists. Francis gave a bible to each lector and a crucifix to each catechist…reports Asian Lite News
Pope Francis on Sunday for the first time conferred the lay Roman Catholic ministries of lector and catechist on women, roles that previously many had carried out without institutional recognition.
He conferred the ministries at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, where, in an apparent reference to resistance to change by some conservative, he criticised those who need to have rigid regulations and “more rules” in order to find God.
Last year, Francis changed Church law on the ministries of lector and acolyte, which mainly had been reserved to seminarians preparing for priesthood, saying he wanted to bring stability and public recognition to women already serving in the roles.
Lectors read from scripture, acolytes serve at Mass, and catechists teach the faith to children and adult converts.
The ministries of lector and acolyte existed before but were officially reserved to men. Francis instituted the ministry of the catechist last year.
At Sunday’s Mass the pope installed six women and two men as lectors and three women and five men as catechists. Francis gave a bible to each lector and a crucifix to each catechist.
The formalisation, including a conferral ceremony, will make it more difficult for conservative bishops to block women in their dioceses from taking on those roles.
The change will be particularly important as a recognition for women in places such as the Amazon, where some are the de facto religious leaders of remote communities hit by a severe shortage of priests.
The Vatican stressed that the roles are not a precursor to women one day being allowed to become priests. The Catholic Church teaches that only men can be priests because Jesus chose only men as his apostles.
Supporters of a female priesthood say Jesus was conforming to the customs of his times and that women played a greater role in the early Church than is commonly recognised.
Francis has appointed a number of women to senior jobs in Vatican departments previously held by men.
The rest have completed their SSLC. The group has completed their one-month training and are ready to be part of Haveri Zilla Panchayat’s pilot programme to employ women drivers…reports Basavaraj Maralihalli
“I am an M.A. degree holder, and I was working as a guest lecturer when the COVID-19 pandemic hit us so unexpectedly. I never imagined becoming a driver for the Swaccha Vahini auto tippers that collect dry solid waste. But I am ready to drive an auto tipper to collect waste in our village along with nine other women in our group,” shared Gopini Giddammanavar.
Chalagere, where she lives, had recently signed an MoU with the Sanjeevini Self Help Group (SHG) to oversee the entire dry waste management in the gram panchayat.
Wheels of independence
The Sanjeevini SHG, formed under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and registered under the State Cooperative Act, comprises 10 to 20 women members on average who receive livelihood training and financial assistance through the NRLM and Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (KSRLPS). Haveri district has 6,183 Sanjeevini SHGs and Karnataka has 1,81,931 in total.
Gopini admitted that driving an auto-tipper is difficult in rural areas, but she wanted to try something new, and this was an apt opportunity. “I will never hesitate to drive Swaccha Vahini and collect dry waste even though I am a graduate; I am proud of this work,” she beamed.
This is not just Gopini’s story, but that of all 32 women who have received training at the Bank of Baroda Rural Self-employment Training Institute (RSETI) at Haveri to run the Swaccha Vahini at different gram panchayats. Among them, three women are graduates, working part-time jobs as teaching faculty. The rest have completed their SSLC. The group has completed their one-month training and are ready to be part of Haveri Zilla Panchayat’s pilot programme to employ women drivers.
“The first batch of one-month driving training along with food and accommodation for the women has been successfully completed. Apart from driving, we have also trained them in life skills and banking services. They will be well-equipped to be self-sufficient after this training,” claimed Shajit S, Director of RSETI.
One of the trainers said, “Along with driving lessons, we have also explained to them about the main parts of the vehicles and taught them minor mechanical repair skills. They have participated enthusiastically, and each woman trainee has driven a vehicle for 6 km every day. They can run auto tippers without any hassle in rural areas.”
The Zilla Panchayat is planning to start a second batch for training women drivers through RSETI. Earlier, women would only collect and segregate dry waste like paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, cloth, and metal, and it was male drivers who would operate auto tippers. The dependency on male drivers will drastically reduce after more women drivers complete their training. As many as 109 gram panchayats (out of 223 in Haveri) received auto tippers worth Rs 6 crores under the Swacch Bharath Mission, and the newly trained women drivers will operate these vehicles.
When contacted, Mohammad Roshan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Haveri Zilla Panchayat, explained that women aged 18 to 45 had completed their driver training and would get a light motor vehicle driving license after the prescribed period. “These 32 women drivers will operate Swaccha Vahini auto tippers at their respective villages to collect dry waste door-to-door and dispose them at solid waste management units,” he said.
The CEO also said they had planned to set up solid waste management units in 170 gram panchayats. “We will employ the services of local women members of the SHGs to manage the units. They will manage everything — from collecting dry garbage from each household, producing manure from the waste, selling it, and driving auto tippers. The initiative will help women become financially independent,” emphasised Roshan.
Currently, most gram panchayats are implementing waste management at open spaces and are not following scientific methods of segregation and recycling garbage, affecting people’s health in surrounding places and causing severe distress to the environment. Moreover, waste management staff have no protocol in place to manage the process. Cattle and other animals end up ingesting harmful waste, affecting their health as well.
Tumminakatti gram panchayat in Ranebennur taluk has recently started using waste management units and is receiving a good response from the public. They have been collecting dry waste from households and segregating it for recycling. They have also built an eco-friendly park in the village out of recycled materials.
The gram panchayat provides the vehicles and waste management units, and the Sanjeevini team does not have to make any investment. The team will eventually pay salaries using the earnings from selling recycled waste.
Quashing stereotypes
Satish Ilager, a member from the Agadi gram panchayat, believed that women could only drive light motor vehicles, and running auto tippers for dry waste collection in rural areas would prove challenging. Many drivers in these areas do not follow driving rules. Also, most rural roads are pathetic, especially the interior pathways, which are very narrow. Another critical concern for sanitation workers is that they are looked down upon due to their choice of occupation. However, villagers are curious about them and want to witness how they manage the solid waste management unit, including driving a vehicle themselves.
Initially, even family members hesitated to allow their women to attend driving classes and work in waste disposal, but the Zilla and the gram panchayat officials convinced them. Women drivers will start work soon. Meanwhile, the Zilla panchayat has planned a one to two-day training at every gram panchayat level to boost the women’s morale and confidence.
“We are confident that they could manage the entire solid waste management unit in our gram panchayat, including driving Swaccha Vahini themselves. They display great commitment, and this will reduce the dependency on male drivers, and solid waste management will be a smooth process,” said Venkatesh Ukkadagatri, Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) of Chalagere gram panchayat in Ranebennur taluk.
Female drivers concur with the PDO, are confident of their driving skills, and reiterate that they could handle large vehicles just like their male counterparts.
“We are not worried about driving auto tippers for dry waste disposal in the villages because we do not drive speedily and avoid rash driving. Moreover, we only need to drive a maximum of 6-8 km per day, so it is very easy for us. The only thing is that people in rural areas judge us as inferior to them based on our job. However, we try not to let it affect us. We believe that work is worship and many government officers have great respect for us. We know this is a noble profession because we are contributing to our environment,” asserted Nirmala Harijan, an auto tipper driver from Chillurbadni of Savanur taluk.
NAMA, UN Women economically empower 340,000 women globally (WAM)
The skills, resources, and opportunities provided by UAE-based NAMA Women Advancement and UN Women have empowered more than 340,000 women around the world to participate equally in markets and support economic growth overall…reports Asian Lite News
This was revealed at a panel discussion held at the Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, which spotlighted the transformative potential of gender-responsive procurement and its role as a strategic lever in enabling women entrepreneurs to build a better world.
At the session hosted jointly by NAMA and UN Women as part of the Global Goals Week at Expo 2020 Dubai, discussions centred on creating better outcomes for women and enhancing national economies by advancing reform and action through the prism of gender-sensitive policies.
The session titled, ‘Gender-responsive procurement as a transformative strategy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals’, highlighted the successful practices in different parts of the world including South Africa and the UAE. Panelists discussed how gender-responsive procurement (GRP) is a critical conduit to deliver directly on most SDGs, specifically goals 5, 8 and 12.
NAMA, UN Women economically empower 340,000 women globally (WAM)
Prominent dignitaries at the event included H. E. Faisal Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, UAE Ministry of Economy; Dr. Mouza Al Shehhi, Director, UN Women – UAE Liaison Office for the GCC; Raghad Aljughaiman, Project Expert – Office of Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs at Ministry of Economy, UAE; Mhairi Main Garcia, Head of Middle East Energy, Transport and Infrastructure Group, Dentons; John Balouziyeh, Senior Legal Consultant, Dentons; and Nihal Hashish, Senior Purchasing Manager, P&G.
In a statement issued following the event, H.E. Reem BinKaram, Director, NAMA, reaffirmed NAMA’s firm commitment to building an ecosystem for women’s economic empowerment. The NAMA Director called on public and private sector stakeholders to apply actionable solutions unveiled at the session to make informed procurement decisions to promote inclusive supply chains and contribute to the SDGs.
The Director of NAMA said: “For many women, entrepreneurship offers a path to economic empowerment. We need firm commitments from all stakeholders to build partnerships, make our ambitions a reality and further enable women entrepreneurs.”
“Procurement connects us all, so our relationships matter,” said Dr. Mouza Al Shehhi, Director of UN Women-UAE Liaison Office for the GCC, in her welcome address. She detailed how the partnership with NAMA to support women-owned business inclusion in supply chains has benefited more than 2,500 women entrepreneurs in the UAE through structured training and mentoring sessions that equipped them with the knowledge and tools to enhance their access to procurement opportunities.
In his keynote address, Faisal Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, UAE Ministry of Economy, emphasised that the UAE’s ranking as a leading country in gender equality in the region stems from the vision of its founding leaders who believe in the equal partnership of men and women to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous nation.
A series of government-led initiatives, such as the National SME Programme – where one-third of members are female; and the recently launched Entrepreneurial Nation initiative, are enabling women entrepreneurs in both innovative and traditional sectors to set up and expand businesses in the UAE and across its boundaries, he said.
Al Hammadi added that the UAE’s commitment to supporting the development and progress of women in all sectors saw a record of 23 Emirati women making the cut on Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Arab Businesswomen list in 2020. “The launch of a Women’s Pavilion for the first time in a world expo is also an example of our belief that when women thrive, humanity thrives.”
In a virtual presentation, Professor Olive Shisana, Special advisor to the President of South Africa and Chair of the National Task Team on Preferential Procurement, unveiled lessons from the South African experience, most notably the country’s National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) and the Women Economic Assembly (WECONA).
She said: “A key pillar of the National Strategic Plan identifies economic power as a critical lever to women’s economic equality and challenges public sector institutions to develop and implement mechanisms to fast-track procurement from women-owned businesses. The Women Economic Assembly (WECONA) also emphasises the participation of women-owned enterprises on the entire value chain to foster sustainable economic development.”
Calling for more holistic, integrated models that respond to the realities of women and remove the structural barriers, she added: “Gender-responsive procurement facilitation should be the aim of all national initiatives to support women.”
Outlining the promise of GRP in shaping positive opportunities and outcomes for women, Jade Cochran, Programme manager for UN Women’s Stimulating Equal Opportunities flagship programme, said: “Thanks to NAMA’s support for the Flagship Programme, we are on our way to directly empowering 20,000 women in South Africa and UAE through their participation in the economy. NAMA’s support on the global level through policy advice, technical support and data, evidence and knowledge, has enabled more than 340,000 women increase their participation in the economy.”
NAMA’s support for the Flagship Programme has also enabled 50 organisations in developing and improving their GRP practice in UAE and South Africa, she added. “Globally, NAMA’s partnership has contributed to UN Women supporting 536 government companies and international organisations in implementing GRP policies and practices.”
NAMA, UN Women economically empower 340,000 women globally (WAM)
Discussing the emerging trends in GRP in the public and private sectors, Raghad Aljughaiman, Project Expert – Office of Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs at Ministry of Economy, UAE, said that 30% of female-owned businesses in the UAE generate USD 100,000 annually. “At the federal level, 5% of government procurement is reserved for UAE-based entities, which increases to 10% at the state level. Yet, a lack of awareness and lack of information or training in processing these requirements are barriers currently preventing women business owners from availing of these opportunities.”
She added: “These gaps are being addressed through a series of training sessions under the National SME Programme which now sees a 30% participation by women-owned businesses.”
Mhairi Main Garcia, Head of Middle East Energy, Transport and Infrastructure Group, Dentons, said: “The energy sector is traditionally male-dominated, and huge strides must be made both in women’s workforce participation and gender-responsive procurement policies in this sector. The emerging sectors of renewable energy and cleantech also have immense potential to include women-owned businesses in procurement programmes, but currently, this is not being realised.”
John Balouziyeh, Senior Legal Consultant, Dentons, called on all men to be steadfast partners in advancing women not only through gender-responsive procurement but more globally, in all aspects of economic participation and human rights. He said: “It wouldn’t be possible to achieve the SDGs unless women’s economic participation is promoted, and women’s rights are protected.”
Nihal Hashish, Senior Purchasing Manager at P&G, said: “At P&G, our end game is to be a change agent and step up as a force for good in the communities we operate in. In fact, we surpassed the global average percentage of 4% and are currently sourcing 7% of total spend from women-owned businesses. We hope that as we engage in more initiatives and transparent public discourse, more organisations and businesses will embrace gender inclusivity and diversity in their operations.”
Following the conclusion of the panel discussion, the UN Women UAE Liaison Office held an innovative, practical workshop for procurement professionals to outline strategies for implementing gender-responsive procurement in their organisations to equip them with best practices and tools to make impactful changes. The workshop underscored the importance of GRP, delved into the strategies that work and discussed how to embed GRP throughout an organisation and use data to track progress. (WAM)
Priyanka had earlier announced that 40 per cent of the tickets would be given to women and had coined a slogan – ‘girls can fight’…reports Asian Lite News
The Congress on Thursday released the second list of 41 candidates for the Uttar Pradesh elections in 41 candidates, out of which 16 are women.
The women candidates include Sukhwinder Kaur from Saharanpur, farmer leader Poonam Pandit from Syana and Dr Yasmeen Rana from Charthawal.
The total number of tickets given to women are 66 out of the declared of 166 candidates, which is marginally higher than the 40 per cent as promised by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra party General Secretary and In-charge UP.
Last week the party had declared the names of 125 candidates in which 50 are women, constituting 40 per cent of the candidates.
The women have been chosen from diverse backgrounds. These include the mother of Unnao rape survivor; Poonam Pandey an Asha Worker; Nida Ahmed, a journalist; and social activist Sadaf Jafar from Lucknow who was at forefront of anti-CAA protests.
Priyanka had earlier announced that 40 per cent of the tickets would be given to women and had coined a slogan – ‘girls can fight’.
Priyanka said, “We wanted to give a chance to the people who have been fighting for their rights, so the real people will get the chance to fight for their cause.”
She said that political rights need to be given to the women.
The Congress leader said that the party has tried to change the political narrative of the state and wants that there should be discussion on employment, health, law and order and other women related issues.
Initially, money was hard to come by. Sharma said that a woman earned about Rs 25 per day by making and selling papads to shopkeepers. That made for a monthly income of Rs 750…reports Bivek Mathur
In Bhaga village in Jammu and Kashmirs Reasi district, 17-year-old Shilpa Singh has taken it upon herself to earn for her family after the coronavirus pandemic washed out her father Mangal Singhs job.
“When the pandemic hit the country, several labourer families like ours were left in the lurch as our fathers, who until then were the lone breadwinners of our families, lost their jobs,” she said.
To avoid a financial crisis at home, she decided to become a member of the local self-help group (SHG). “And I’m happy that the income from the products sold by the self-help groups sustained my family in the pandemic,” Singh said.
These SHGs that have given hope to several women today, did not have many takers before 2019. Women from Bhaga village did not work outside their homes and instead depended on their husbands for almost all their requirements.
The scenario changed in January 2019 when Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) officer, Indu Kanwal Chib, who was posted as the then deputy commissioner Reasi, intervened. She gently coaxed the women to join Jammu and Kashmir State Rural Livelihood Mission (JKSRLM) — a programme aimed at alleviating poverty in the Union Territory — to earn a guaranteed monthly income and afford a better life.
When the Bhaga women joined the self-help groups under JKSRLM in 2019, they had no inkling of the mission. “Following a brief about the initiative and a recollection of success stories by then deputy commissioner, we dared to start by making lentil papads. And this continued for several months,” Jyoti Sharma, a self-help group member said.
Initially, money was hard to come by. Sharma said that a woman earned about Rs 25 per day by making and selling papads to shopkeepers. That made for a monthly income of Rs 750.
The coronavirus pandemic, however, changed their fortunes.
‘Pandemic brought in more work opportunities’
Two months after the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, the women from Bhaga self-help group were approached by Chib with an offer — making face masks for the district administration.
“Since most of our village women were already adept in tailoring, we accepted the offer,” Sharma said, adding, “To meet our targets, hundreds of women self-help groups worked day in and day out to prepare and provide one lakh masks to the district administration.”
The women in Bhaga sold a mask for Rs 20 and ended up earning Rs 2 crores within 2-3 months. “With this, the average monthly income of an SHG member rose to Rs 4,500-5,000 during those months,” claimed Sharma.
Current Deputy Commissioner of Reasi, Charandeep Singh, said that the average income of some individuals from the SHG amounts to Rs 7,000-8,000 per month.
Singh said that the traditional craft materials made by Reasi women SHGs have been listed as “success stories” under the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. “And this is a major achievement for our women self-help groups,” the officer said.
A better life
According to the director of the JKSRLM, Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar, there are 48,423 women self-help groups that provide livelihood opportunities for 4,16,037 women in the Union Territory currently. In Reasi town alone, 15,402 women are associated with 1,854 self-help groups.
Arif Mohammad, the professional resource person of JKSRLM in Bhaga, said there are 125 women self-help groups only in his cluster — the Prerna Mahila Cluster Level Federation. Around 1,200 women work in these groups.
The SHGs in Bhaga village also make various products like jute bags, traditional ornaments, paper plates, disposable leaf plates and bowls, teddy bears, spices, pickles, embroidery items, masks, cheese, kaladi (traditional cheese) and sandals among others.
The JKSRLM in collaboration with other government departments conduct exhibitions throughout the Union Territory and sell the products made by these SHGs.
As far as other marketing avenues are concerned, the deputy commissioner of Reasi, Charandeep Singh, said that his administration has opened sales outlets for some units while commercial websites are also being designed to help the women sell their products online.
For instance, to benefit pickle manufacturing SHGs from Reasi, an outlet has been opened in Pouni area of the district. Around 500 hoteliers in Katra and other areas near the Katra-Shiv Khori shrine have been requested to purchase pickles exclusively from these outlets by women SHGs.
For other traditional items like Chabhari, Bina (made using wild grass), he said, “At our request, the Katra hoteliers have agreed to present these traditional crafts as souvenirs to the visiting tourists and guests.” The hoteliers, according to him, have been carrying a retail display of these products made by the women SHGs.
“Meetings with e-commerce giants like Amazon are also underway to help the women SHGs market their products online,” Singh added. “My administration is also planning to sell the products made by women self-help groups through some websites that would be named after them.”
The idea was to promote women’s entrepreneurship by helping housewives belonging to the underprivileged sections of society to do business…reports Asian Lite News
Reena Sharma’s life came to a standstill when her husband passed away, leaving behind their five-year-old son. It was a big challenge for Reena to nurture the kid in the absence of her husband. Thanks to Ajay Amjera, founder of Ajmera Fashion, a leading manufacturer of sarees in Surat, Reena has become ‘Aatmanirbhar’ (self-dependent) by starting her own small business of saree trading in Bihar. Reena’s story isn’t unique. Over 5,000 women from various states and regions across the country, most of whom are from middle and lower-middle-class households and homemakers, have become successful entrepreneurs in the last few years, earning a living for their children and families. Ajay Ajmera and his wife, Rachana Jain were inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ programme and came up with a unique idea that would impact the lives of thousands of women across the country.
The idea was to promote women’s entrepreneurship by helping housewives belonging to the underprivileged sections of society to do business. Ajay and his wife Rachana set up a team to identify and train the women from villages, small towns, and even big cities who were eager to change their lives by doing business.
The women from different states and districts were shortlisted and trained in batches. These women were taught how to start a saree business by saving and investing a little amount of money. They were educated about every aspect of the clothing business. The earning potential of the saree business was quite instrumental in convincing them to start their own business. Ajay Ajmera, founder of Ajmera Fashion said, “I come from a middle-class household and experienced poverty as a child. I was determined to do something for the needy women from the lower strata of society to make them self-dependent. This is how we began providing business training to women, and we are proud to say that over 5,000 women now run their saree businesses across the country.” Once the women were equipped with the business know-how, Ajmera Fashion supplied them with the stock of the sarees with the latest designs at wholesale rates.
To spread the unique business proposition for needy women, Ajmera made scores of inspirational business videos on YouTube to propagate the idea of making the Aatmanirbhar women entrepreneurs. The videos went viral across the country, and many women joined in the mission. “There are many women who started from a scratch, visiting door-to-door for selling their sarees, and now they own their big saree showrooms,” said Ajmera. Ajmera’s unique Aatmanirbhar initiative was recognized by the Maharashtra Government, and he was conferred with the prestigious ‘The Champions of Change Award-2020″ by the Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari. (ANI/PNN)
The CEC said service electors including Security Forces deployed in far-flung places, Mission staff, and others are about 5.29 lakh…reports Asian Lite News
Women participation in the electoral process has increased in all the five states going to polls — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, and Manipur as compared to the last assembly elections with UP witnessing the maximum participation of the fair sex at 29 points, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said on Saturday while announcing the poll schedule.
As many as 18.34 crore electors from the five states will take part in the democratic exercise and out of that 8.55 crore are women electors. In the women participation, UP is followed by Goa with 24 points, Manipur with 19 points, Uttarakhand with 18 points, and Punjab at 10 points. In the gender ratio, Goa recorded 1056, Manipur 1065, Punjab 902, Uttarakhand 928, and UP at 868, Chandra said.
Notably, out of the 24.9 lakh first-time voters, 11.4 lakh are also women.
Nearly 13.01 lakh are differently-abled voters and 31.47 lakh senior citizens mostly above 80 years will exercise their franchise and this will inspire the younger generation, he said.
The CEC said service electors including Security Forces deployed in far-flung places, Mission staff, and others are about 5.29 lakh.
Polling time has been increased by one hour in all the states. The final electoral rolls were published on January 5. The EC has made an effort to increase the number of voters and as a result, all states have seen an increase, with the maximum voter increase in Uttar Pradesh.
The EC has capped the number of voters per booth to 1,250, resulting in an increase in the number of polling stations to 30,334 as the average number of voters per polling booth has decreased.
A committee member said that it would be better if a few more womenparliamentarians are members of the committee which is going to discuss the law increasing the legal marriage age of women to 21 years from 18…reports Asian Lite News.
The Parliamentary panel which will examine a bill seeking to raise the legal age of marriage of women from 18 to 21 and submit its recommendations has only one woman member.
As per the Rajya Sabha website, the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports, headed by BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, has its full complement of 31 members and Trinamool Congress member of the upper house, Sushmita Dev is only woman among them.
Of the 31 members, 10 are from the Rajya Sabha and 21 from the Lok Sabha.
During the Winter session, the government introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha and it was referred to the standing committee on the opposition’s demand.
A committee member said that it would be better if a few more women parliamentarians are members of the committee which is going to discuss the law increasing the legal marriage age of women to 21 years from 18.
“Currently there is no vacancy to nominate new women MPs in the committee. But the committee Chairman has power to invite any one and we wish he will invite everyone for wider consultation on the proposed law,” said the member, who did not want to be identified.
The Union Cabinet passed a proposal to increase the minimum legal age of marriage of women to 21 from 18 years on December 15 last year. Currently the legal minimum age of marriage for men is 21 and 18 for women. The proposal was based on the recommendation of NITI Aayog task force headed by Jaya Jaitly.
Senior officials of the Health, Women and Child Development, and the Law Ministries were members of a task force set up in June last year to examine matters pertaining to age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering MMR (Maternal Mortality Rate), improvement of nutritional levels and related issues.
The dawn of 2022 in Uttar Pradesh, apart from witnessing a fiercely fought battle in the Assembly elections, will also decide the political fate of five women politicians.
These women, directly or indirectly, are playing a key role in the Assembly elections for their respective parties, and the poll outcome will prove crucial for them.
Priyanka Gandhi
To begin with, all eyes are fixed on Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is working overtime to revie the near-defunct Congress in Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka created a buzz when she announced 40 per cent reservation for women in the upcoming Assembly elections. Her attempts to create a women vote bank by blurring the lines of casteism and communalism have unnerved other political parties, and her slogan ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ has started echoing in the political circles.
Priyanka’s efforts to put the Congress on the political centre stage have started showing results, which is evident by the increasing presence of women and girls at party events.
However, the party’s lack of organisational base in the state may or may not help in translating the crowds into votes.
For Priyanka, the Assembly elections are like a do-or-die battle. If she manages to revive Congress’ fortunes in the upcoming polls, she will prove her mettle as a leader of stature.
If the Congress fails, it will be Priyanka’s failure and this could give another death blow to the beleaguered grand old party.
Anupriya Patel
Union minister Anupriya Patel is another woman leader for whom the UP elections are an acid test. Anupriya’s Apna Dal is a BJP ally and she showed remarkable success rate in three previous elections.
In 2014 and 2019 general elections, Apna Dal contested and won two seats – notching up a 100 per cent success rate. In the 2017 Assembly polls, the party contested 12 seats and won nine.
Anupriya Patel, Leader of Apna Dal (Wikipedia)
In 2022, Anupriya’s estranged mother Krishna Patel, who heads a breakaway faction of Apna Dal, has allied with the Samajwadi Party and is working hard to establish her claim over Kurmi votes.
If the faction led by Krishna Patel manages a good showing in the Assembly polls, she will claim her late husband Sonelal Patel’s political legacy, something which gave Anupriya a head-start in politics.
Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati is another woman leader whose political future depends to a large extent on the UP Assembly elections.
The BSP’s fortunes have been declining rapidly since 2012 when Mayawati was voted out of power. In the past nine years, she has made more enemies than friends – barring a brief six months when she befriended Akhilesh Yadav.
Mayawati has expelled almost all senior Dalit leaders from her party, which now lacks any recognisable face from the Dalit community which has been her mainstay.
The BSP is now focused on wooing Brahmins and this is proving to be an irritant for the Dalits. Whether the BSP can recreate the magic of 2007, and ensure a balance between Dalits and Brahmins, remains to be seen.
The BSP, for the first time, faces a challenge from the Bhim Army which is making its political debut in next year’s UP polls.
Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar has managed to build a sizeable following among Dalit youth and this could prove detrimental to BSP’s interests in the polls.
For Mayawati, it is essential to re-establish her hold in state politics in these elections, or else she may be relegated to the wings in the coming years.
Dimple Yadav
The fourth woman leader who will play a crucial role in UP polls is former Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav. Though she is not very visible on the political horizon, party sources claim that she is working relentlessly behind the scenes to help her husband Akhilesh Yadav in his biggest political battle – the 2022 Assembly polls.
Sources say that Dimple is quietly screening the situation in various Assembly constituencies and providing feedback to Akhilesh Yadav who is busy campaigning.
Dimple Yadav (Wikipedia)
“She is working till the booth level, making calls and verifying the credentials of the leaders. Not many are aware of the work she is doing, but she is working overtime to make things easy for Akhilesh Yadav. In fact, she is a key leader in the party now,” said a party leader on condition of anonymity.
Dimple knows that in next year’s Assembly polls, her husband is the sole star campaigner since party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav is facing health issues and may not campaign.
Another senior SP leader Azam Khan is in jail, while some others, including Beni Prasad Varma, have passed away. The party, at present, does not have star campaigners to share the burden.
If Dimple’s work strategy succeeds, she could emerge as a front-rank leader for the Samajwadi Party.
Aditi Singh
Another woman leader to watch out for in the upcoming Assembly elections is Aditi Singh, the rebel Congress MLA from Rae Bareli.
A first-time MLA, Aditi had won the 2017 elections on her father Akhilesh Singh’s goodwill. Five-time from MLA Rae Bareli, Akhilesh Singh, also known as a mafia don, enjoyed immense goodwill in his constituency for almost three decades.
He gave up his seat for Aditi in 2017 when he was diagnosed with cancer. He died in August 2019.
After his demise, Aditi revolted against the Congress, launched attacks on the party leadership and warmed up to the BJP.
Though she formally joined the BJP recently, her acceptability in the party will be put to test in the Assembly polls since Akhilesh Singh had always postured himself against the BJP.
Political analysts feel that Aditi’s revolt against the Congress could damage the party in Rae Bareli, which is Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency.
“She can damage the Congress, but whether she will be able to retain her seat and her political clout remains to be seen,” said a veteran Congress leader in Rae Bareli.
