HANAMKONDA : With the view that women can help resolve every crisis in their families, the State government is taking steps to empower women across the State. The role of women is crucial in the development of families and society, noted Warangal Mayor Gundu Sudha Rani during a seminar in the run-up to the International Women’s Day 2023 organised by The New Indian Express on Saturday.
About 250 women attended the event sponsored by Sagar Cement, Mulukanoor Women’s Cooperative Dairy, Mandi Wala, and NTPC Ramagundam. Addressing the gathering., Sudha Rani urged parents to teach their children about the importance of women in society. She emphasised that this would reflect positively on their career and would help prevent incidents of teasing, harassment, ragging, assault and other atrocities in society, such as the recent incident involving Dr Dharavath Preethi, a first-year postgraduate student at Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) who killed herself over alleged harassment by her senior.
Men have traditionally dominated in all areas of life, making it crucial to uphold current ideals and work towards building a fair and equal society that is free from gender discrimination, she added.
The state government has taken measures to protect women, with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao prioritising women’s safety through initiatives such as She Teams and Bharosa centres, the Mayor pointed out. Additionally, the government has introduced various schemes to promote women’s empowerment and economic growth, according to Sudha Rani.
She explained that the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and Stree Nidhi provide training programmes that support and provide job opportunities for women. As a result of these programs, 90 per cent of the trained women will work in the upcoming Kakatiya Mega Textile Park, she added.
During the seminar, Warangal Deputy Commissioner of Police K Pushpa expressed concern over several incidents involving teenagers in cyber crimes. She appealed to girls and young women not to share any personal information on social media platforms.
She explained that cybercrime involves two methods: financial and non-financial. The financial method involves taking money from the victim’s account, while the non-financial method involves using psychology and manipulation, such as morphing personal photos and threatening to expose them for money. She advised women and students to stay away from loan apps, which can access their contact lists and personal data on their mobile phones. She warned that borrowing money from these apps with low-interest rates can result in blackmail and personal data being shared with their close contacts. Pushpa emphasised the importance of staying safe online and advised women and students to be cautious when using social media platforms.
B Dhanushari, president of the Mulukanoor Women’s Cooperative Dairy, shared how the dairy started with only a few women but grew to include thousands of women, eventually becoming a successful cooperative dairy farm through their hard work. She emphasised that women can overcome any challenge if they work together and serve society.
Dr B Vasishta, a psychiatrist, stressed on the importance of teaching children about “good touch and bad touch” to help prevent incidents of harassment and child sexual abuse. She encouraged mothers and elder sisters in the family to take responsibility for guiding children’s attitudes and behaviour with care and concern.