PROUD MOMENT: Women who received the Rani Kittur Chennamma awards from Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in Bangalore on Thursday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday set a six-month deadline for officials of the Housing Department and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for distribution of houses/sites to the below poverty line families in Bangalore city and other urban centres.

He was speaking after the inauguration of the International Women's Day and State-level exhibition organised by the Women and Child Welfare Department here.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Housing Department, BDA and Slum Clearance Board officials had been instructed to come out with a plan within 15 days.

Official apathy was a major reason for delay in the distribution of houses, he said.

The Constitution had guaranteed rights for women and the girl child to eliminate social and economic discrimination, he said.

The UN General Assembly declared 1975 as International Women's Year.

The first women's convention was held in July 1975 in Mexico City.

Every year, Women's Day is being celebrated on March 8 to emphasise women's education, employment and welfare programmes.

The Chief Minister apologised for not including a woman in his Cabinet.

However, he said Government had set aside adequate resources for the uplift of women and encourage Stree Shakti groups to expand their activities. The self-help groups helped women to undertake activities to become economically self-reliant.

He said the Government would announce ban on the sale of arrack in the budget.

The Chief Minister presented the Kittur Rani Chennamma awards for 2005-06 to six institutions and eight individuals for their work in the field of women development.

The Kuvempu Education and Rural Development Society, Belgaum, bagged the first prize in the institution category while Poornima Ashoka Gouroji won the prize in the individual category.

The Yashodaramma Dasappa Award was given to Vidya SHG, Shikaripur taluk in Shimoga district; Sri Mookambika SHG, Madikeri taluk in Kodagu district and Gayathri SHG in Surpur taluk in Gulbarga.

The award comprises a purse of Rs. 25,000 and a citation.

Shakuntala Shetty, BJP MLA and chairperson of the Legislature Committee on Women and Child Development, released a souvenir "Antarala" brought out by the Women and Child Welfare Department.

Minister for Women and Child Welfare H.K. Kumaraswamy; Binnypet MLA V. Somanna; Karnataka State Women's Commission chairperson Pramila Nesargi; MLC Vimala Gowda and the former Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University D. Javare Gowda were present.

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