Illiteracy among women cause for concern: Sonia

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 22. ``Political representation, adequate educational opportunities, economic independence, social equity and legal equality are the five pillars required for empowerment of women of our country,'' the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, said here today at a meeting organised by ASSOCHAM on ``Empowerment of Women''.

Ms. Gandhi said: ``An attempt was made to provide to the women political power through the Panchayati Raj which gave them 33 per cent reservation. It was a novel step which reaped more benefits than we could have ever envisaged. It also gave women a platform and found for them a voice that was absent earlier.''

Pointing out the need for economic independence, Ms. Gandhi said of the 34 lakh organised workers in the country, 11 lakh were women, and ``they formed part of a silent revolution that India was awakening to. But education is still an area of concern for us. Though the literacy rate had shown some improvement, we still need to work in a focused, intensified manner among the Dalits and adivasi women of our country.''

Sharing the dais with her were the chairperson of Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd., Ms. Indu Jain, the ASSOCHAM president, Mr. Raghu Mody, and the vice-chairperson of J.M. Morgan Stanley, Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai. Also present was the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit.

Expressing concern over the overall change in the response to the issue of empowerment of women, Ms. Gandhi said, ``Despite the work done over the decade, the negative sex-ratio and the lack of basic sanitation facilities in government schools and rural areas still remain matters of concern for us.''

She demanded that the demands put forward by women be taken up seriously and not dismissed as a trade union gimmick. ``Improvement of lot of the women would help the nation grow,'' she said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. crisis found a mention at the meet with Ms. Indu Jain stating: ``Wars and terrorism are both created and fought by men, women and children are often left to bear the consequences of this. While the corporate world has realised the need to balance the male-female ratio and respect the creative skills of women, the world as a whole is yet to accept the power of a women. We would still worship her, but refuse to give her the respect and equality that she deserves in the family or work place.''

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