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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 8TH OF MARCH

International Women’s Day was observed on March 8, 2021. The day celebrates the achievements of women and calls for action to empower women to create a gender-equal world. The theme of International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. “A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. So let's all choose to challenge. ” The International Day highlights how we can help to forge a gender-equal world- by celebrating women’s achievements, taking action for gender equality and raising awareness against bias.

WOMEN IN NEWS IN 2021

• Kamala Harris: Kamala Harris created history by becoming the first female, African-American and Asian-American to be sworn in as Vice President of the United States. The 56-year-old was born to immigrant parents from India and Jamaica.
• Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala: Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala has become the new Chief of the World Trade Organisation. She is the first woman and African to hold the position at WTO. She was appointed after she received the complete support of Joe Biden’s administration on February 5, 2021. She is the former Finance Minister of Nigeria and will hold the position from March 1, 2021, to August 31, 2025.
• Kaja Kallas: Kaja Kallas became the first female Prime Minister of Estonia on January 26, 2021 after the new two-party coalition government was sworn in. This would be the first time that the Baltic nation will be led by a woman ever since it regained independence in 1991. Kaja Kallas is a lawyer, former European Parliament Member and daughter of former Prime Minister of Estonia, Sim Kallas.
• Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Linda Thomas-Greenfield was confirmed by the US Senate on February 23, 2021 as the US ambassador to the United Nations. She will be the third African-American and the second African American woman to hold the post of UN ambassador to the UN. She is a three-decade veteran of the US State Department.
• Bhawana Kanth: Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth was the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the parade of Republic Day 2021. She was a part of the tableau of the Indian Air Force that showcased the LAC- Light Combat Aircraft, the Sukhoi-30 fighter plane, and light combat helicopter. Bhawana Kanth was also one of the first women fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force. She was inducted in IAF in 2016 along with Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi as the first women fighter pilots. Flt Lt Bhawana Kanth is set to become the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day parade.
• Swati Mohan: Dr. Swati Mohan was the Indian American woman who led the complex landing operation of NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars. Perseverance rover became the fifth NASA rover to successfully touch down on the Red Planet after Sojourner, twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity and Curiosity. Dr. Mohan had spearheaded the development of attitude control and the landing system for the rover. She was also the lead systems engineer during the development process of the rover. She has been a part of many important NASA missions in the past including the Cassini mission and GRAIL.

TOP GOVT. INITIATIVES FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

To create a gender-equal world, the first step is providing equal opportunities to women and enabling their welfare and safety and providing ease in day-to-day living. Following are few schemes that were launched by the government in recent years to empower women, especially those living in rural areas.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana: Launched in January 2015, the scheme aims to celebrate the girl child and enable her education. The scheme’s main objectives are to prevent gender-biased sex-selective eliminations, ensure survival and protection of girl child and ensure the education of the girl child.

One Stop Centre Scheme: The One Stop Centre will provide support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces.

Women Helpline Scheme: The scheme aims to provide 24 hours immediate and emergency response to women affected by violence through referral and information about women-related government schemes programs across the country through a single uniform number.

UJJAWALA scheme: The scheme’s objective is to prevent trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation through social mobilization and involvement of local communities, awareness generation programmes, generate public discourse through workshops/seminars and such events and any other innovative activity

Mahila-E-Haat: Mahila-E-Haat was launched in 2016 as a bilingual online marketing platform that leverages technology to help aspiring women entrepreneurs, self-help groups, and NGOs to showcase their products and services.

Mahila Shakti Kendra: The Mahila Shakti Kendra was launched in 2017 to empower rural women with opportunities for skill development, employment, digital literacy, health and nutrition. The Kendras work through community engagement through student volunteers in the 115 most backward districts.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year. This day is celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. Women stand at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, community organizers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders in combating the pandemic. The crisis has highlighted both the centrality of their contributions and the disproportionate burdens that women carry. The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day in the International Women’s Year, 1975. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace.

QUESTIONS (1-5)

Q.1 International Women's day 2021 which is a symbolic to the historic journey of women across the world is celebrated along with which of the following themes?

1. #I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women's Rights
2. #Think equal, build smart, innovate for change
3. #ChooseToChallenge: ANSWER
4. None of the above

Q.2 Which of the following were the root demands of the women which germinated the idea of International Women's Day?

1. Equality not merely for justice but for development
2. Focus should be on economic empowerment of women
3. Emancipation of women should be linked to social emancipation

1. I & II follows
2. II & III follows
3. I & III follows
4. All of the above: ANSWER

Q.3 Which of the following is matched incorrectly in reference to the Women in limelight in 2021 with their feats or achievements?

1. Swati Mohan --- She led the complex landing operation of NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars.
2. Linda Thomas-Greenfield --- First Woman African chief of World Trade Organization: ANSWER
3. Kaja Kallas --- She became the first female Prime Minister of Estonia.
4. None of the above

Q.4 Which of the following statements is/are correct in the reference to the above mentioned passage?

1. International Women’s Day was first organised in 1911 by the early 20th century Marxist from Germany Clara Zetkin: ANSWER
2. In 1977, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day on 8th March.
3. Entire month of March is celebrated as 'Women's History Month' in Sweden.
4. None of the following

Q.5 Which of the following scheme’s objective is to prevent trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation through social mobilization?

1. Mahila-E-Haat
2. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana
3. UJJAWALA scheme: ANSWER
4. UJALA Scheme