Pankaja Munde: Need better representation of women in national politics

She was speaking at the 2nd National Women’s Parliament (NWP), 2021 hosted by MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in Pune. The four-day virtual conference was held from January 11 to 14. More than 71 speakers, including business leaders, NGOs owners, political leaders, sports personalities and celebrities, from all over the country addressed the conference, themed on promoting social, political and economic equality of women in all strata of society and facilitating dialogue between women from diverse backgrounds. The 11 sessions were attended by over 3,500 participants.

The inaugural session of the was addressed by Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Sushree Debasree Chaudhuri, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh Saruta, Lok Sabha MP Diya Kumari, secretary-general of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland, Governor of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Anandiben Patel, BJP national vice president Uma Bharati, and legendary dancer Mallika Sarabhai.

“Women are an institution in themselves. Woman empowerment is an important step towards the progress of our nation. They are an important part of our workforce, who contribute to our nation’s prosperity. If more women are educated, we will be able to eradicate many ill social practices in our society such as the dowry system. MIT World Peace University’s initiative of the National Women’s Parliament platform recognises the extraordinary contributions of women in the different sectors of our society,” Anandiben Patel said.

Rahul V Karad, the managing trustee and executive president of MAEER’s MIT and executive president, MIT World Peace University, said, “Though we are the largest democracy, women in India find themselves under-represented and far removed from decision-making levels even after seven decades of being a democracy. As a university that believes in universal value-based education, we consider it our prime responsibility to lead this change towards women empowerment.”

Padma Bhushan Dr Mallika Sarabhai, who is also the founder of Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, said the conference was a step towards highlighting the different possibilities available to women. “Let not the boundaries of society stop you from flowering to the fullest. We are our only competition. Women in leadership positions, who can make independent decisions, are the need of the hour,” she added.

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