CHENNAI: Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman today said empowerment of woman has been a "hallmark" in Tamil Nadu and women, including herself, was a beneficiary of the advantage.
Women's empowerment had always been a "hallmark" in Tamil Nadu, she said in her address at the Centenary Celebrations of
Women's Christian College here.
"Tamil Nadu has always been a place where women had that advantage. And I have been a beneficiary of this," Sitharaman, who hails from the state, said.
Addressing a gathering of students and academicians of WCC and others, Sitharaman praised the institute for its service and empowerment of women, saying it had been empowering them with a "powerful tool called education".
WCC, a premier institute, had started services 100 years ago and the college had come up with a series of programmes to mark the centenary celebrations.
One of them was creating a 'Time Capsule', an air tight cylinder that contains the names of students, staff and stakeholders in this 100th year, which the college authorities said would be opened in WCC's sesquicentennial year in 2040.
Alumnae from various countries and former teachers had thronged the college for the centenary celebrations today.
Four alumnae - Director of the Hyderabad-based Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Aruna Bahuguna IPS, Tractor and Farm Equipment (TAFE) Chairman and CEO Mallika Srinivasan, Angeline Premalatha IFS, and Srilata Zaheer, Dean, Carlson School of Management, were honoured on the occasion.