The Hindu : New Delhi News : A gift on Women's Day: dream-come-true portal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 08, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

A gift on Women's Day: dream-come-true portal

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 7. In keeping with the speed of change in the world, International Women's Day this year would be about bridging the "technological'' divide. From the Resource Centre for Women (NRCW) portal to be launched on March 8 to the online complaint registration system for women in distress by the Delhi Commission for Women, the idea is to make help available at the click of a button.

A virtual resource centre for women, the NRCW portal has been set up by the Department of Women and Child Development together with the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development. The portal aims to create an information base and disseminate information on women's development.

A dream-come-true for researchers as well as non-government organisations, it is a one stop place for gender polices adopted by the Government. The portal also serves as a platform for people to network, so that different experiences can be learnt from. The portal will also have a facility for entertaining queries. The portal is scheduled to be inaugurated on International Women's Day by Minister of State for Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja. And staying in the spirit of instant connections, the programme will be broadcasted to all States through video-conferencing.

Celebrating the International Women's Day on a similarly electronic note albeit a day earlier, the Delhi Commission for Women launched its online complaint registration system. This system will enable women in distress to get a date with counsellors in the Commission instantly. The website was inaugurated by the Delhi Chief Minister in the Capital today.

While "official'' departments have their plans for the day, non-government organisations also made their presence felt. Singing songs about women's rights and struggle against patriarchy, women's organisations held their own celebrations. Remembering women who might not have the freedom to raise their voice against suppression in Iraq and Palestine, it was an occasion also to look beyond India.

Criticising successive Governments including the United Progressive Alliance Government for not passing the Women's Reservation Bill, the vice-president, All India Democratic Women's Association, Brinda Karat, stated that the Bill had been killed again and again in the Parliamentary womb. "Thousands of women are being killed due to domestic violence even according to official figures and the UPA Government should immediately pass the Domestic Violence Bill,'' she said.

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