Empowering women through science
The National Girl Child Day represents the significance of education and health for girls. The Ministry of Women and Child Development observed the National Girl Child Day for the first time on January 24, 2008. The objective of the day is to spread awareness among the public about inequities faced by girls in our society. It tends to promote awareness about the rights of the girl child and the importance of female education and health.
The day is observed with a unique theme every year. In 2019 the theme was ‘Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow’, it was ‘My Voice, Our Common Future’ in 2020, and ‘Digital Generation. Our Generation’ in 2021. On National Girl Child Day, various government agencies celebrate the accomplishments of girl children in various fields. The government has taken many initiatives that focus on empowering the girl child, including access to education, better healthcare and improving gender sensitivity. The day is in line with campaigns and programs of the Government like “Beti Bachao, Beti Padshao”,“Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana”, “Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)”, etc. This year Ministry of Culture is organizing an event ‘Umang Rangoli Utsav’, as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, in which participating teams will make Rangoli decorations at over 50 locations across the country. Under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,’ on the National Girl Child Day,75 young female achievers under 20 would also be felicitated.
The India Science, Technology & Innovation (ISTI) Portal has a dedicated section under ‘Programmes& Schemes’ for the Women in the field of science. Wherein, various scholarships for women, schemes for women, fellowships for women, S&T awards for women, etcoffered by various Ministries and Departments are enlisted. Further, a list of universities and institutions dedicated to women, and policies related to women in science are also explicitly mentioned. Besides, the portal also has the inspiring stories of the women who have left a mark in their respective fields of science. Not to mention, the portal also keeps a special focus on the women at the grassroots level, who through the STI intervention are trying to empower their communities and generate livelihood opportunities. One such programme “Tech-Neev@75” tends to portray the inspiring stories of such women along with others. We believe that our efforts would help the cause of empowerment of women and girls who look for opportunities in the scientific sector and aspire or strive to make a career in the field of science.
Programmes and Schemes for Girl