BHUBANESWAR: Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida on Tuesday said women’s safety and empowerment should be pursued together through strong institutional support, effective implementation of laws and collective responsibility.
Inaugurating the Shakti Summit here, Parida said women’s safety and empowerment cannot be addressed in isolation. “The Shakti Summit provides an important platform for states and the Centre to learn from each other, strengthen convergence and ensure that every woman is able to live with safety, dignity and opportunity,” she said.
Addressing the inaugural session, chairperson of the National Commission for Women Vijaya Rahatkar emphasised the need for collective action and stronger institutional mechanisms to advance women’s safety and empowerment across the country.
The summit saw participation of 29 senior officers at the level of secretary, commissioner, director and joint director representing 22 states/UTs including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Telangana.
The deliberations at the summit will focus on strengthening implementation mechanisms, sharing successful state-level interventions and fostering institutional collaboration to address emerging challenges concerning women’s safety and protection. The conference will also provide an opportunity for states and Union Territories to learn from one another and identify areas for greater convergence in efforts towards women’s empowerment.
Organised by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in collaboration with Odisha government, the summit aims to share effective practices, identify implementation gaps and explore actionable strategies for strengthening institutional mechanisms for women’s safety, protection and empowerment.