3 women from Tripura, Andhra, Rajasthan attending UN population meet in New York

Agartala, April 29: Three elected women representatives from Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan are taking part in the 57th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population Development (CPD), officials said on Monday.

A Tripura government official said that the three women representatives from rural India would showcase women’s leadership at the grassroots in the UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities) event in New York.

Sabhadhipati of the Sepahijala Zilla Parishad in Tripura, Supriya Das Dutta, along with Kunuku Hema Kumari, Sarpanch of Pekeru gram panchayat in Andhra Pradesh, and Neeru Yadav, Sarpanch of Lambi Ahir gram panchayat in Rajasthan, would participate in the five-day event that commenced on Monday.

The Additional Director of Tripura’s Panchayat Department, Prasun Dey, said they would highlight the crucial role played by the women in the grassroots political leadership and their contributions to sustainable development.

All three women have been nominated by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Dey said that Das Dutta would deliberate on issues such as women’s empowerment and gender inequality, including the role, leadership, and impact of women in the development process, highlighting economic self-reliance achieved by women through self-help groups (SHGs).

Das Dutta was instrumental in the creation of various fora for rural women and in strengthening the SHG movement, Dey said.

Das Dutta, the daughter of Shital Das, a labourer in Bishalgarh, said that at the UN meet, she would deliberate issues such as women’s empowerment and gender inequality, including the role, leadership, and impact of women in the development process of the country.