Lalitpur, May 8: Prime Minister and Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Girija Prasad Koirala has said that as the development of the country is possible only through the development of education, priority should be given to women’s education.
Prime Minister Koirala was inaugurating the national consultative meeting concerning Beijing +5 organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare here today.
Laying emphasis on women’s education and economic development, Prime Minister Koirala said that attention should be focused on making them self-reliant.
Noting that education was necessary for making women’s empowerment a reality, he said that there must be serious thinking on how to keep the grants provided by foreign donor agencies within our technologically backward country.
Noting that spreading of educating among women was indispensible in our society which is afflicted with conservative attitudes, Prime Minister Koirala expressed the conviction that given the rights, women also could perform with efficiency.
Calling for the devising of practical programmes that take into consideration the geographical conditions of the country and cover all segments, he expressed his commitment to extending all possible cooperation with regard to the reports presented by the consultative meeting.
He underscored the need for positive thinking on what could be done to make women self-reliant for their own economic development.
Noting that the development of the country is not possible without the participation of women, Prime Minister Koirala emphasised the need for men and women to join hands and move forward in development endeavours.
On the occasion, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Mrs Kamala Panta said that the Government was working for implementation of the commitment expressed at the fourth world conference held in Beijing and disclosed that various aspects including women’s rights and human rights have been covered in programmes under the Ninth Plan.
Underlining the need to pass laws concerning the rights and interests of women through parliament, Minister of State Panta said that all round development of the country is not possible without the participation of womenfolk.
Stating that consultative meetings had been hosted in all the five development regions, she said her ministry was firm on fulfilling the pledges made by the government for the overall development of the country.
Referring to the commitment of the government to the development of women, Minister of State Panta said cooperation from national and international organisations had been received for women’s development programmes.
Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare Urmila Shrestha spoke of the activities carried out by the ministry in the area of women’s rights and interests and said that concrete measures had to be taken to end segregation between men and women.
Undp deputy resident representative Saraswati Menon said that as the Prime Minister himself had assumed charge of the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, there would be remarkable progress concerning the rights and interests of women.
Former member of the National Planning Commission Dr. Bal Gopal Baidya, chairman of A.B.C. Nepal Durga Ghimire and a host of other speakers spoke on the activities carried out following the Beijing conference concerning women’s rights.
Lalitpur mayor Buddhi Raj Bajracharya presided over the function.