Vijayawada:International Women’s Day was celebrated at the Sub-Collector’s Office premises in Vijayawada on Saturday under the aegis of the APJAC Amaravati State Women’s Wing.
The programme was organised under the leadership of Women’s Wing State chairperson Pare Lakshmi and secretary-general Ponnuru Vijayalakshmi.
A. Suryakumari, Secretary of the Women and Child Welfare Department, attended the event as chief guest. S. Ilakkiya, Joint Collector and Additional District Magistrate of NTR district, APJAC Amaravati chairman Bopparaju Venkateswarlu, Panchayat Raj Engineer-in-Chief K. Vijayakumari and Joint Director of Economics and Statistics B. Anupama were among those present.
Addressing the gathering, Suryakumari said women play a key role in the progress of families, society and the nation. She said empowering women strengthens families, which in turn contributes to the development of society. She also suggested that mothers should teach cooking and household responsibilities to their sons so that working couples can share domestic duties equally.
She noted that women are increasingly proving their capabilities across sectors and that their representation in government services is steadily rising.
Speaking on the occasion, Ilakkiya said continued efforts are required to safeguard women’s rights, welfare and empowerment. She described International Women’s Day as an inspiration for women to unite and contribute more actively to nation-building.
Venkateswarlu said providing opportunities to women strengthens families and society. He also appreciated Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for prioritising women’s welfare and introducing the Stree Shakti scheme in APSRTC buses to support women from weaker sections.
The speakers also thanked the government for issuing GO No. 70 allowing women employees to utilise childcare leave at any time before retirement.
Prizes were distributed to winners of cultural and sports events organised as part of the celebrations. Several APJAC Amaravati leaders, women committee members and employees from various departments participated in the programme.