Silver jubilee fete of women’s panel on Sunday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Women’s Commission is commemorating its silver jubilee on Sunday. The first chairperson of KWC was Sugathakumari and the members were former MLA Rosamma Punnoose, former deputy speaker Nafeesath Beevi and former minister M Kamalam. T Devi, who had a long tradition of working in the labour sector, was also one of the members.

During the initial days of KWC, IUML leader Noorbina Rasheed, K K Ramani, Dr Radha, and P Rajani, a lawyer, were deputed in various districts as members. The first director of KWC was former DGP Alexander Jacob. Seminars on women empowerment were held across 140 Assembly constituencies in the state.

Another feather in the cap of KWC was the formation of Jagrata committees at the panchayat level comprising 10 women and five men which are still functioning. It was KWC which came up with the idea of Kudumbashree that empowered women to set up small businesses. Women officials were appointed in all districts under the industries department for its smooth functioning. 

The present chairperson of KWC is M C Josephine. The members are M S Thara, E M Radha, Shiji Sivaji and Shahida Kamal.Ex-officio member P Usha Rani is the member-secretary of KWC. V U Kuriakose is acting as the present director. The silver jubilee celebrations were inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on February 23 in Kozhikode where he launched the KWC’s Malabar regional office.At the programme, the CM released Women’s Directory. It was the first time in the country that a women’s commission had brought out a women’s directory.