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Need to empower women: Nagaland Governor

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Press Trust of India Kohima
Last Updated : Mar 08 2014 | 5:20 PM IST
Regretting that Bills for providing reservation to women in state Assemblies and Parliament were lying pending for lack of consensus, Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar today said that there was an urgent need to empower women and make them equal partners in the progress of the country.
He said that it would be impossible to create an economically prosperous and a healthy and happy society, without addressing these issues and ensuring full participation of women in the decision-making structures.
"We need to ensure that our women are guaranteed equal opportunities in all spheres - social, economic and political," he said launching a Poorna Shakti Kendra with Nagaland State Social Welfare Board on International Women's Day.
The Governor also called for removal of all obstacles that prevented women from achieving their full potential and said that there was a need to have a re-look at traditions and customs so that the youth and women could become equal partners in the journey into the future.
"In our country, it is said that we worship women. In our religions we find many female goddesses, who are considered more powerful than even the male Gods," he said.
"In our houses we love our mothers, sisters, and wives but the question is do we really respect them, the way we respect the male member of family? I wish I could say with confidence, that we treat our women folk in the same manner that we treat our male relatives," he added.
State Chief Secretary Banuo Z Jamir delivering the keynote address said that the rise in female literacy and the increasing participation of women in society was a positive sign in Nagaland.
She, however, lamented that despite the rise, Naga women continued to face a variety of problems, particularly on safety issues as there was an increasing trend of violence against women.

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First Published: Mar 08 2014 | 5:20 PM IST

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