ANANTAPUR: Zilla Parishad Chairperson T. Kavitha has felt that women can play a greater role in the development of rural areas provided they are educated and trained properly on empowerment. She said she would encourage fellow women ZPTC members to take independent decisions on development works in their territorial constituencies.

Participating in a meet-the-press programme organised by the district unit of Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists here on Saturday she said she would lay emphasis on creating awareness among women about education, health and hygiene.

Asked how she would overcome the general opinion that the husbands of most of the women elected representatives act as remote controls in decision making, Ms. Kavitha said women were smart enough to take wise decisions even in difficult situations. Besides, the Government would conduct training programmes for them on empowerment. About 60 per cent of the 63 ZPTC members in the district are women.

Transparency

She stressed the need for providing sanitation facilities and rest rooms in schools to attract more girls to education in rural areas. She would try to make women self-reliant by laying emphasis on development of dairy farming and ensure a transparent and non-corrupt administration in Zilla Parishad, she added.

On the prevailing drought conditions, the ZP Chairperson admitted that the situation was very bad with only 40 per cent of sowings in the kharif season. She felt that input subsidy for crop failure during the last kharif season should be given to all farmers who did not get crop insurance benefit, irrespective of their land holdings.

D. Rajagopal, district secretary, APUWJ presided over.

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