‘Women an active part of the workforce in Kerala’

District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh opens the golden jubilee celebrations of Women’s Indian Association and the Padmasree Kalyana Mandapam

District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh has said that the biggest difference between north India and Kerala is women’s participation in workforce.

Opening the golden jubilee celebrations of Women’s Indian Association (WIA) and Padmasree Kalyana Mandapam in Kozhikode on Wednesday, he said the people of Kerala had largely accepted the presence of women in most jobs, unlike in Delhi or other north Indian States. “Kerala has excelled in creating social awareness for women to become active members of society,” he said.

Explaining the concept of ‘Pradhan Pati’ in grama panchayats in Bihar (where though women are presidents of panchayats in seats reserved for them, their husbands often rule on their behalf), Mr. Singh said the system had changed over the past 10 years, and women have begun started taking decisions themselves. He appreciated WIA for being a good support system for women.

Mayor Beena Philip was honoured on the occasion. She urged WIA to widen its charity net. Councillor P. Usha Devi and WIA president Geetha Narayanan were present.

WIA, founded in 1973 by a group of homemakers interested in social work, is the driving force behind Padmasree Kalyana Mandapam, the first wedding hall in Kozhikode and the only such facility to be fully managed by women in the country. WIA has been engaged in a variety of charitable activities since its inception, and the hall has been its major source of income until recently. During the pandemic, the association took its activities forward using the income from a warehouse at Puthiyapalam.

As part of the celebrations, the association has launched a programme named ‘Compassion 50’ using funds collected from its members and well-wishers, offering financial assistance to 50 individuals and enterprises.