Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday launched the ‘Amaravati Declaration for Women Empowerment’ — the thoughtful outcome of the three-day National Women’s Parliament (NWP) held in February involving 2,000 representatives from across the world and thousands of students.
“I assure you. The declaration will be presented and thoroughly discussed in the Assembly towards implementation. Women should get 33% reservation in the legislative bodies and the Telugu Desam Party will fight for it on behalf of you,” announced Mr. Naidu addressing a gathering of students and women excelling in various fields.
The declaration, an outcome of the various sessions, debates and discussions at the NWP includes education, legal rights, health & nutrition, entrepreneurship and digital literacy.
“Most of the 10 issues highlighted in the declaration are implementable. For every issue, the report stressed the need for cooperation of the family, society and the government,” Mr. Naidu said. This declaration prepared by the UN Women’s Cell in collaboration with the State would serve as a reference to the rest of the country, he added. Mr. Naidu said he had been in the forefront in empowering women since two decades and the self-help groups were an example of it. He said a fast-track court to deal with atrocities against women would come up. Noble laureate Kailash Satyarti said if the declaration was implemented, every girl and woman would be safe and have a proper platform to develop. He called upon the people of all walks of life to consider the declaration.
Union Minister Y.S. Chowdary said women empowerment was not just distributing reports and pamphlets but capacity building was important.
Cancer specialist and Chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai, Dr. V. Shanta said empowerment had to be earned and it would not be served on a platter. “Laws and Acts are made only for sanction; it is up to us to make them possible,” she said.
Former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya said the declaration should be implemented by all the States.
Speaker K. Siva Prasad Rao and UNICEF Chief Field Officer (AP, Telangana and Karnataka) Meital Rusdia were present.