In news– Every year, March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day to celebrate the cultural, political, and socio-economical achievements of women.
About International Women’s Day(IWD)-
- The goal behind Women’s Day is to spread the message of gender equality, celebrate the achievements and contributions of women in different spheres, and work towards building a society free of all gender biases, stereotypes, gender parity and discrimination.
- The theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’.
- The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
- The IWD celebration started with women’s rights movements in the US, Russia and other European countries where they demanded civil, social, political and religious rights for women.
- First National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on February 28, 1909.
- In 1910, a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen, where woman named Clara Zetkin (Leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day.
- IWD was marked for the first time in March 1911 – and the date was fixed as 8 March in 1913.
- The United Nations celebrated it for the first time in 1975.
Note- India celebrates Sarojini Naidu’s birthday as National Women’s Day every year on February 13. She was born on February 13, 1879.
Nari Shakti Puraskar by the Indian government-
- Nari Shakti Puraskar literally means ‘Woman Power Awards’.
- It is a National Award in recognition of exceptional work for women empowerment conferred by the Hon’ble President of India (Given by Ministry of Women and Child Development ) every year on 8 th March, the International Women’s Day.
- These awards were instituted in 1999 under the title of Stree Shakti Puraskar and were renamed and reorganized in 2015.
- They are given in six institutional and two individual categories, which carry a cash prize of rupees two-lakh and one-lakh, respectively.
- As per the Guidelines, any individual of at least 25 years of age and institutions having worked in the relevant field for at least 5 years are eligible to apply.
- It is awarded to individuals/ groups/ NGOs/ institutions etc. for encouraging women to:
- Participate in decision making roles.
- Women’s skill development in traditional and non-traditional sectors.
- Facilitating basic amenities for rural women.
- Promoting women in non-traditional sectors like science and technology, sports, art, culture concretely and for the significant work towards safety and security, health and wellness, education, life skills, respect and dignity of women etc.
Categories of Awards:
- Rani Rudrama Devi Award for Best Panchayat /Village Community
- Mata Jijabai Award for Best Urban Local body for providing services and facilities to women
- Kannagi Devi Award for Best State which has appreciably improved Child Sex Ratio (CSR)
- Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award for Best Civil Society Organization (CSO) doing outstanding work for the welfare and well-being of women
- Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award for Best Private Sector Organization/Public Sector Undertaking in promoting the well-being and welfare of women
- Rani Lakshmibai Award for Best Institution for Research & Development in the field of women empowerment
- Award for Courage & Bravery
- Awards for making outstanding contributions to women’s endeavor/community work/making a difference/women empowerment
Source: The Indian Express
