Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Education, health key to women’s development: Shailaja

VIJAYAWADA: Krishna district Collector Shailaja Ramaiyer on Saturday called for effective steps to ensure education and proper health to women, so as to raise their status in society.

Addressing a meeting jointly organised by the Department of Women and Child Welfare Agency and the Forum for Child Rights to mark the International Women’s Day, Ms. Ramaiyer lamented the dismal scenario as far as education and health of the women in the State were concerned.

She said from developmental perspective, women in Andhra Pradesh lagged far behind their counterparts in other States.

Pointing to the alarmingly high neo-natal and infant mortality rate, she said for every 1,000 children born, 56 were dying. Maternal mortality rate was also a serious cause for concern. She felt that the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and anganwadi workers involved in implementation of welfare schemes for women and children should shift focus on education, health and nutrition. Emphasising the need to protect the rights of children as well, she said the rights of women and children were linked.

Ms. Ramaiyer felt that natural resource management was the answer to improve the economic status of the vast population of women working in fields as agricultural coolies. They should gradually be shifted from the farm sector to the cottage industries, thus elevating their status from an agricultural worker to that of a small-time entrepreneur.

Project Director of National Child Labour Programme K. Siva Sankar presided over the meeting.

e Project Director of the Women and Child Welfare Department M. J. Nirmala, Zilla Parishad Vice-Chairperson T. Padmavathi, Chairman of the Child Welfare Committee of Krishna district Thomas Koshy, senior advocate Karnati Ramamohan and secretary of the Legal Cell Authority of Krishna district Srikanthachari spoke.

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