Launch workshop of Rural Girls Empowerment Programme, Chittorgarh, 7th & 8th January 2002

International Day for Violence against Women, Chittorgarh, 25th November 2001

State-level Workshops on Women's Health  Development, Chittorgarh, 8th and 22nd November 2001

World Rural Women's Day, Chittorgarh, 15th October 2001

World Water Day 2001 Pemdiya Kheda, Nimbahera, Chittorgarh, March 23, 2001

Celebration of International Women’s Day

Training of Master Trainers 25th-30th December 2000,Chittorgarh

Celebration of International Women’s Day

On 8th March 2001, CUTS Centre for Human Development, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan celebrated the International Women’s Day. More than 800 people from all over the district as well as adjoining districts participated in the daylong event. Majority of them were women, and from rural areas. The event, organised at the Centre’s premises, was part of the Rural Women’s Empowerment Project, being implemented by the Centre. 

Among others, Ms. Madhu Dadhich, Member of Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan, Ms. Anand Sandhu, Chairperson, Chittorgarh Municipality, Ms. Minaxi Shukla of CHETNA, Ahmedabad graced the occasion as speakers. 

The theme of this year’s meeting was ‘Drought and Its Challenges: The Role of Rural Women’. Rajasthan, a desert state in northwest India, is facing drought, and the lives of people in rural areas are greatly affected. Among others, large-scale migration from rural to urban areas, and even to other states, are being witnessed. 

The Government of India has declared the year 2001 as the year for the empowerment of women. With that as backdrop and taking into account ground realities affecting the livelihood of rural population, the Centre celebrated the day with the following objectives:

• discuss the problems that are arising due to drought and their effects on the lives of rural population, particularly women; and 
• prepare strategies for tackling the situation after identifying the roles that village women can play vis-à-vis drought. 

The following problems were identified:

• availability of drinking water;
• ill-effects on health, nutrition and living standards; 
• unemployment due to non-availability of agricultural work; and
• women are over-burdened with domestic work, while facing the situation, e.g. for collecting fodder, food etc. 

• effective and sustainable utilisation of existing sources of drinking water as well as identification of alternative sources; 
• identification of alternative, non-farm income generation activities with the help of self-help groups, grassroots social action groups etc;
• sensitisation of men-folk of the society about increasing burden that the women are bearing while facing the drought; and 
• organising cultural programmes at the grassroots for mass awareness on conservation and sustainable use of water. 

For Further Details Please Contact:

Mr. Srinivas Krishnaswamy/Mr. R.K. Sharma 

Centre for Human Development
Rawala, Senti, 
Chittorgarh 312 025, Rajasthan, India 
Ph:   91.1472.241 472
Fax:  91.1472.240 072 
E-mail:  cutschd@sancharnet.in; chd@cuts.org