Chennai (PTI): India's first woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Saturday said that International Women's Day was a 'day of humanity', one which celebrates and symbolises everything about life.

Speaking at the FICCI Ladies Organisation celebration of "International Women's Day" here today, she said it was dangerous to leave everything to men and exhorted women to aspire to be in positions of leadership.

"Women should stop being a minority," she said. "Women have talent and leadership abilities. We just have to let them in and make them be visible," she said.

She also called upon Finance Minister P Chidambaram to include incentives for corporates to encourage setting up day care centres in offices, which would go a long way in helping women with children.

Bedi also said women should also take up careers like chauffers while providing one such example in Mumbai.

The former police official, who recently quit the police force, came down heavily on a weekly magazine that last week featured 50 prominent personalities, but featured only two women among them.

She gave away 'The Champion of Humanity' award to Dr Shanta Sinha, Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Dr Shanthi Ranganathan, Chairperson, T T Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation.

She also presented the 'Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur' award to Mallika Srinivasan, Director, TAFE Ltd.