Women empowerment means equal partnership in all walks of

Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar today said that empowerment of women implies equal partnership in all walks of life.
"Empowerment implies equal partnership in all walks of life for which women need to be properly educated and be made economically independent," he said, adding that participation of women in decision making is most vital for quick and balanced progress.
Empowerment of women is something much more than mere reservation of seats in local bodies and legislatives assemblies, Kumar said while addressing a two-day Women Empowerment and leadership summit here.
The Governor stated that women were denied basic human rights all over the world until the concept of equality came in to being and the right to vote was granted. He however mentioned that some countries do exist where women do not have the same right to vote as men.

Kumar also said that all states are duty bound to implement these instructions and also take measures to ensure equal playing field for all girls in education, employment and economy.
The Governor stated that there is a huge gap between what is laid down in the constitution and the reality on the ground and added that the lofty ideas of equality have remained confined to books.

He said that gender discrimination is wide spread and the situation is even worse in some of the North East states, with the blame attributing to culture, customs and tribal traditions.
Kumar also stated that another area where women must make the biggest effort is Information Technology. He said that computers, internet and social media are going to be the greatest empowering tools of the 21st century.

Women can do e-learning, e-business, earn money while sitting at home and at the time of their convenience and can also easily connect to each other and also the outside world through this medium, he added.
The summit was organised by NGO the Alaphra Group.