The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : NABARD meet: focus on gender sensitisation

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Monday, Mar 17, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

NABARD meet: focus on gender sensitisation

Tiruchi Bureau

Increasing women’s access to institutional credit discussed

Programme aimed at addressing the problems of women in society
Steps taken by government, financial institutions to mitigate situation highlighted

TIRUVARUR: Focus on women’s development, increasing their access to institutional credit and formulation of women-oriented developmental programmes were discussed at a one-day programme on ‘Gender Sensitisation’ organised by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) here recently.

Representatives of government departments, bankers, non-governmental organisations, members of self-help groups, women entrepreneurs and women postal employees participated. The programme was aimed at sensitising participants to gender discrimination in society and the steps taken by the government and financial institutions to mitigate the effects of such a situation.

Some experiences

Inaugurating the programme, Bhanumathi, Project Officer, District Rural Development Authority, narrated how she managed things at home and at office, where she occupied a responsible position that demanded a lot of sacrifice. She recalled the support of her husband, which helped her reach her present position.

Touching upon an incident in her life, Saraswathi Ganesan, Project Officer, Magalir Thittam, urged women to assert their freedom of expression under all circumstances so that they could stand up for their values in life.

Indumathi Gopalakrishnan, correspondent of Trinity Academy, an upcoming local educational institution, quoted literary verses and incidents, which attached importance to women.

She shared her experiences on how she reached the present stage of her professional career with the strong support of her father and husband. According to her, women should have a vision in their life and stick to it. There should be focus on education and health among women so that other things in their life could be taken care of.

Sudha, lawyer, stressed the importance of awareness among women of various laws and legal provisions.

Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries and participants, V.A. Raghavan, District Development Manager, NABARD, explained the relevance of organising such a programme in present day context with more and more women coming to play better roles in public life.

He said various schemes for financing farm and non-farm sector activities through banking system were available both to men and women. In order to focus on women in developmental activities and increase their access to institutional credit, NABARD had formulated programmes such as Women Development Cells and Development of Women through Area Programme (DEWTA) available for Regional Rural Banks, Assistance to Rural Women in Rural Non Farm Development (ARWIND) and Assistance for Marketing of Non-Farm Products of Rural Women (MAHIMA) through NGOs and voluntary agencies.

Other speakers included G. Vinitha, Coordinator, DRDA, Thiruthuraipoondi; Seran, District Manager, TAHDCO; Singaravel, Assistant Project Officer, Vazhndhu Kattuvom Project; and representatives of NGOs and banks.

Nagapattinam

A gender sensitisation meeting organised by NABARD at Kilvelur on Saturday attracted a large number of members from women SHGs and non-governmental organisations and bankers. They exchanged views on the concept of gender in credit and development.

K. Venugopal, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, Nagapattinam, said the purpose of the meet was to address the problems of women, particularly in accessing credit and attaining economic empowerment. The sensitisation efforts were gender-neutral, as both men and women needed to understand gender issues.

Empowerment

P.S. Nageswaran, District Manager, Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing Development Corporation, Nagapattinam, who presided over the function, explained the various aspects of women empowerment.

K. Kalidasan, lawyer; V. Radha, Assistant Block Development Officer, Kilvelur; J. Joseph Anandraj, Assistant Project Manager, Vazhndhu Kaatuvom Project; S. Arivoli Jeeva, social worker and others spoke.

The branch managers of Indian Bank and Canara Bank in Kilvelur, members of SHGs promoted by AVVAI Village Welfare Society, Women Association for Rural Development, Pasumai Rural Development Centre and Gandhi Grama Munnetra Sangham attended the meeting.

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