Min: State’s progress rooted in empowering society, women

Thiruvananthapuram: The share of the state’s gender budget grew from 11.5% in 2018 to 20.9% in 2023, said women and child development minister Veena George on Tuesday. The government is focusing more on gender budgeting to promote gender-sensitive policies and schemes, she added.While speaking at the G20 Empower meeting, she emphasized the state’s dedication to women’s empowerment and progression in economic representation. “Kerala’s progress is deeply rooted in empowering society and, more specifically, women,” she said.George cited the Kudumbashree programme, launched in 1998, as a key factor in empowering women in the state. “As one of the largest networks of women in India, Kudumbashree has successfully promoted entrepreneurship and fostered the devolution of power to panchayati raj institutions and communities,” she said. She pointed out the government’s focus on addressing wages, safety, occupational health and insurance issues for women in various occupational groups.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sangita Reddy, chair of G20 Empower, emphasized the importance of empowering women in benefiting society and the economy. Dr Reddy highlighted the significant gains made by countries that have successfully closed the gender gap in various sectors, such as education, healthcare, job opportunities, and equal wages. These countries have experienced a positive ripple effect across all areas of development, she added. She stressed on the advantages of having more women on corporate boards, leading to higher growth rates, improved customer sensitivity and better bottomlines.She said that 56% of the workforce at her institution, Apollo Hospitals, is women, and there is equal board representation. “There is a need for a shift in perspective. We don’t just look at it as ‘women’. We look at the best individual for the job,” she said.The G20 Empower initiative will concentrate on three major themes — education, leadership at all levels and women entrepreneurship.