Manipur Governor Dr Najma Heptulla on Sunday said compared to other parts of the country, the women are getting more space and respect in Manipur.
“It is the duty of every citizen to keep high morale standard of the State by respecting women and need to condemn whenever there is news of atrocities, molestation and rape against women,” said Dr Heptulla during the prize distribution ceremony of a nationwide competition on ‘Legal Rights of Women’ held at the Raj Durbar Hall in Raj Bhavan here.
While speaking as the Chief Guest on the occasion, Governor Heptulla also said, “The rights of women in India can be broadly classified into two categories – constitutional rights and legal rights. The constitutional rights are those which are provided in the various provisions of the Constitution. But mere existence of these constitutional or legal rights is not sufficient, implementation part needs to be taken up fully as well as the attitude of the people about women needs to change.”
The State Governor also said, “When the country was liberated from British rule, our forefathers wrote the Constitution and the foundation of women rights was enshrined in the Constitution with ‘Adult Franchise’. It shows, unlike Saudi Arabia and African countries, women are treated equally as men in India.”
Recalling her initiative for empowerment of women starting since her 30s, voice for 33 pc reservation for women in the election of local bodies and gender budgeting, the Governor expressed her satisfaction at the contributions of the Manipuri women in the field of politics, economy and society and she expressed her desire to spread the news of the world’s largest women market (Ima Market).
As part of the programme, the Governor also distributed prizes among the winners of the competition. The competition was organised by the Manipur State Commission for Women under the sponsorship of the National Commission for Women on January 12, 2018 among the college students of the State.
The function was also attended by the Manipur Education Minister Th Radheshyam Singh, chairperson Dr K Sobita Devi of MSCW, its members Dr farida Shah and Ranjita Golmei as special guest, president and Guests of Honour respectively.