Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (RD/SP)

Mumbai, Jan 4: Maharashtra governor S C Jamir expressed the need to change the perception of women in Indian society.  Overcoming the deeply embedded mental blocks that have been handed to us over generations, about the efficiency and capacity of women to participate in decision making processes, is the first challenge the society faces in empowering the women, he felt.

He  was speaking at the inaugural  of a two-day national seminar on 'Gender and Caste' organized by the Women Development Cell and the Centre for Human Resource  Development of the University of Mumbai on Friday January 2.

Mentioning that dowry system lies at the vortex of discrimination against women, he said, ending the menace of dowry system would go a long way in addressing many of the problems faced by women. The governor also expressed the need to have separate provisions for women in the budget and felt that the legislature should have a focussed discussion on issues concerning women.

Elaborating further, Jamir said that the President of India has recently constituted a committee of Governors to study and recommend strategies for the speedy economic development and empowerment of women. He said that the committee has recommended the establishment of a women's council at the national level to be headed by the Prime Minister and a similar women's council in the state to be headed by the chief minister. These councils having women representatives and NGOs as members, will review the progress of implementation of programmes relating women’s' development, he described.

University of Mumbai Vice-Chancellor Dr Vijay Khole, eminent feminist historian Dr Uma Chakravarty, chairperson of Women Development Cell Dr Kranti Jejurkar and co-ordinator of the Centre for Women Development Dr Ritu Dewan also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, the Governor garlanded the photograph of Savitribai Phule, a social reformer during the British rule in India.