Tura: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who is the chief executive of tribal-majority and matrilineal Meghalaya, emphasised the economic empowerment of women.
Addressing a seminar on Friday, which was attended by scholars from different parts of the country, the Chief Minister said that the government has conceptualised a programme to empower the women through different economic activities and informed that through the Self Help Group (SHG) movement, Meghalaya is ensuring that the women are made financially independent.
He mentioned that young women are at high risk due to childbirth without a spacing of three years, and some young women even give birth to more than five children by the age of 23.
“So we had to come up with a solution that is long-lasting and ensures the health and well-being of a mother. The Safe Motherhood Programme addresses the concerns of women. We have also introduced interventions that empower women financially through income generating activities initiated through self-help groups (SHGs),” he added, while stating that the economic empowerment of women is of paramount concern to the government.
Noting that Meghalaya was one of the few states in the country, where 95 percent of women from rural areas are part of the SHG movement, the Chief Minister informed that there are over 4 lakh women under this group in the state, compared to around 35,000 prior to 2018.
He further said that the government is working with a positive mindset to provide different opportunities to enable the economic empowerment of women, even as he mentioned that there were different problems facing women but the government was working with an approach to provide effective solutions.
“It is a challenge, but we have to come up with an approach to ensure real change,” he stressed.
Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma, spoke at length on the contribution of women in different fields and urged them to continue to overcome challenges and “stand tall” in making their contribution to society.
He was of the opinion that women had “better convincing power” and their active participation was “very important” in different sectors.
