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Chandigarh Friendly to Women as Well as Children

By Mandeep Puri

Around 20 students from the University of Fraser Abbotsford Valley British Columbia CANADA led by Professor Satwinder Bains and two other faculty members visited Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh here today.

Anu Chatrath, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation Mayor, addressing the delegation, said the Municipal Corporation is taking the initiative to make Chandigarh friendly to women as well as children. Professor Pam Rajput, Chair of the Women Empowerment Committee in her keynote address shared with the group with the initiative of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation in the form of setting up the Women Empowerment Committee and focusing on the concept of gender budgeting introduced in the Corporation.

As part of the initiative of Women Empowerment Committee a multipurpose Mahila Bhawan is being constructed for the Women Empowerment Committee. She also talked about the setting up of the National Mission of Empowerment of Women by the Government of India with the objective of improving things for women at the grass root level. She further stated that earlier issues relating to women and children were ignored in the development process and planning. From the Ninth Five Year Plan onward, with the involvement of civil society initiative issues relating to women and children were brought to the mainstream economic policy through the process of engendering planning process.

About 54 Ministries or Departments have gender budget cells. Each year the Finance Minister makes the Gender Budget statement in the budget in the form of GB 20. She shared that the gender budget analysis of health and education is being done in Punjab. All the members of the Women Empowerment Committee were present, namely Sh. Bhupinder Singh, Senior Deputy Mayor, Smt. Sheela Phool Singh, Deputy Mayor, Smt. Anju Beniwala, Dr. Neelam Malik, Sh. Manjit Singh, Sh. Chander Mukhi Sharma and Smt. Sarita, Councillors.

The Mayor assured the delegation if there is any good suggestion, the Corporation will be happy to undertake it, as both Cities are in the process of developing collaboration and partnership.

Mandeep Puri is a freelance writer who can do anything with words. He has been a Tribune crime reporter, business, sport, entertainment and municipal reporter. Contact Mandeep at his blog mandeeppuri.blogspot.com or at NewsBlaze.