Bhubaneswar (Odisha), September 3 (ANI) – Vijaya Rahatkar, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), highlighted the importance of self-defense training for women on Thursday, asserting that social empowerment is equally crucial as economic empowerment.
While addressing the media during the ‘Shakti Show – Parade For Self Defence’ event in Bhubaneswar, Rahatkar revealed that the NCW, in partnership with Odisha’s Mission Shakti, has introduced a self-defense initiative aimed at 20,000 women across the state, with a special emphasis on middle-aged homemakers.
‘In collaboration with Mission Shakti, we launched a self-defence program for 20,000 women, specifically targeting middle-aged homemakers,’ she stated. ‘Training has already been completed for about 3,800 women across five districts, and an additional 5,000 will finish their training this week.’
Rahatkar stressed that while economic empowerment is vital, social empowerment and the ability to defend oneself are equally essential.
‘Although the economic empowerment of women is crucial, their social empowerment, particularly the ability to defend themselves, holds equal weight,’ she remarked. ‘The National Commission for Women is committed to advancing this initiative.’
She also noted that plans are in place to train an additional 15,000 women under the program in the future.
‘With training for 5,000 women currently concluding, we aim to train another 15,000 shortly. We should promote this initiative as effectively as possible,’ the NCW Chairperson added.
Rahatkar further advocated for the inclusion of self-defense training in school curricula, emphasizing that students should not have to wait for formal changes to implement such programs.
‘While it would be excellent to include it in the curriculum, we shouldn’t wait for that to occur,’ she stated. ‘The new National Education Policy (NEP) addresses various issues and is already being implemented; thus, self-defense should certainly be taught in schools.’
These comments were made during the First Shakti Summit – State WCD Leadership Conclave, hosted by the NCW in partnership with the Government of Odisha from September 1 to 3, as reported in a press release.
The summit, which focuses on ‘Coordination, Dialogue, Resolve, Solution,’ gathers Principal Secretaries, Commissioners, and senior officials from Women and Child Development Departments of 25 states, along with other stakeholders.
The conclave aims to create a platform for states to share insights, identify implementation challenges, and enhance collaboration between the Centre and States regarding women’s safety, protection, and empowerment.
Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister, Pravati Parida, led the opening ceremony, attended by Chief Secretary Anu Garg and NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar.
