No society can claim modern unless it offer equal opportunity to women: Nirupama Rao

--Nirupama Rao inaugurates maiden Women’s Science Congress

--India needs more women scientists: Rao

-- 'You educate a woman, she educates a family'

Hemanta Kumar Pradhan

BHUBANESWAR: “Paucity of women scientists is a world phenomenon. In many developing countries like India have fewer women on science and research field. In major scientific institutions of India have few women scientists. We have to ask ourselves, why there are fewer women in science as the participation of the women is inevitable for the growth of the nation,” said Mrs Nirupama Rao, Ambassador of India to the United Sates, while inaugurating the maiden Women’s Science Congress on the sidelines of 99th Indian Science Congress at The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) here on Thursday.

The former foreign secretary stressed to redouble the efforts to make science more inclusive and also called for policy solutions to remove gender-based disparity in science and other sectors. She also said that science literacy rate should be increased in the country and people must know the basic scientific terms. To be a global leader in innovation, the country has to create scientific temper among its people, she added.

‘We have to encourage participation and retention of Indian women scientists in science and technology, which is important for national development and the success of other programmes,’ she said.

Commemorating Indian history, she said that from Leelabati of 12th century to 21st century is a glorious history where women had participated and proved their mettle in global arena. She informed that the number of women engineer in 1975 was limited to 800 only which now touched in terms of hundreds of thousands. Similarly, eighty women PhD holders in science were there in 1950, but in 2010-11, there are 6,000 PhD holders in science, which is a significant number, she added.

She also said that the Government should create mid-career opportunity for the science graduate girl students of rural area. Then she told about Curie programme, a scheme for the women science students launched by the Union Government by which 2000 students benefited out of it. At the end of her address, she said with an inspirational quote, “You educate a woman, she educates a family.”

Addressing the maiden Women Science Congress, Union Minister (State) of Human Resource Development D Purandeswari said the development of women cannot be complete without their equal participation in science.

“We have to use widely science and technology more particularly for the women in rural area as their number is highest in the country. Those women are engaged in agricultural sector, for whom health is an issue, we must see as the science and technology is being applicable to them or not,” said Purandeswari to The Pioneer.

In a question on Government’s initiative for the growth of the women in the country asked by the reporters, Purandeswari answered, “For girl child education, our ministry has introduced many programmes which became successful and now the retention and attendance of girl child in the school is increasing.”

“State Government should come out with programmes as already some States have initiated jobs for the educated women,” and “education definitely will help women,” she said.

“If the women will be educated, definitely the gender disparity will gradually decrease from the society,” she added.

The theme chosen for the 99th science congress is “Science and Technology for Inclusive Innovation – Role of Women”. This is the first science congress focusing on women bearing the slogan “Reaching the Unreached”. The women’s science congress is being conducted on the theme “Women in Science and Science for Women” for the first time. As General President of 99th Indian Science Congress Prof Geetha Bali said the programme is designed to spread the understanding of the need to empower women who constitute nearly 50 per cent of the population and involve them effectively in nation building activities.

During the inaugural ceremony, Prof Geetha Bali felicitated Dr D Prundeswari, Mrs Nirupama Rao and assistant director-general for natural science of UNESCO Dr Gretchen Kalonji were presided over the inaugural ceremony.