Gandhinagar: Friday: Woman and Child Development Department of Gujarat today organized a women convention at Mahatma Mandir complex, Gandhinagar, in the context of International Women's Day. Women in large number attended the gathering. Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi while inaugurating the convention called upon women to come together and free the mothers and children of the state from the shackles of malnutrition. Chief Minister, on the occasion, presented state sponsored Mata Yashoda Award to the Anganwadi workers with the prizing amount ranging from Rs.11,000 to Rs.51,000.
Chief Minister said the state government's objective is to put a chunk of money in the hands of Anganwadi workers so that they can live a respectful life after retirement. The government has also initiated and started giving them health insurance, he said.
He said that state government has formed a network of Sakhimandala with a view to financially empower the rural women in the state and to free them from the nexus of money lenders exploiting them. About two lakh Sakhimandals in state will soon manage the financial activities worth Rs.1000-cr, more than any man-managed rural organization, he said.
Considering the success of Sakhimandalas, he said, the government has taken up yet a new project – ‘Mission Mangalam' for the empowerment of women, where around 32 well-known Indian companies will invest about Rs.25000-cr, which will provide employment to rural poor.
Expressing contentment over the response women gave to the training programs government started in Gandhinagar for making nutritious food items, Chief Minister said that malnutrition can be well fight with such programs. He also released a book on making nutritious food items.
Woman and Child Welfare Minister Smt.Anandiben Patel said that nutritious food is being supplied to pregnant women and children through the network of about 44,000 Anganwadi spreading in 18,000 villages of Gujarat. She asked women to go to Anganwadis and learn making nutritious food from fortified atta.
Minister Shri Parbat Patel, Woman MLAs Jasumatiben Korat, Smt.Bhavnaben Babariya, Smt.Gitaben Patel, Smt.Vibhavariben Dave, Smti.Varshaben Doshi, Dr.Nimaben Acharya, MLAs Prof.Mangal Patel, Gandhinagar District Collector Shri Sanjivkumar, Secretary for Woman and Child Development Department Smt.Sunayana Tomar and senior officials were present on the occasion.
