With hopes for better job opportunities and a healthier India, women voters in Ranchi are ready to exercise their franchise at various polling stations on Friday, May 25. Ranchi parliamentary constituency has more than 19 lakh registered voters across all age groups out of which approximately 9.5 lakh are females.
Women are also hoping for a cleaner and a greener environment, equal job opportunities leading to empowering women and better health services both in urban and rural areas specially planned for women across all age groups and backgrounds- be it a housewife or a professional.
“The government which comes to power should prioritise on working towards creating more job opportunities for women. Another area which requires attention is women’s health. A health scheme specifically for women, be it a home-maker or a professional hailing from a rural or an urban area should be launched as women tend to ignore themselves very easily. With the increasing number of cases of cervical and uterus cancer, a regular health check-up plan with nominal charges should be implemented so that timely diagnosis and treatment can be done. The government also needs to focus on the development of the rural areas of Jharkhand. In these areas it is a daily struggle for basic necessities like clean water and toilets and this needs to be taken care of as political parties visit the villages to garner votes but later on forget to work for their development,” said Dr Neha Nupur, Assistant Professor, Mandar College.
“I am very excited to cast my first vote. Voting is our democratic right and every woman should exercise this right. Every woman should be aware about their rights and consider this as a huge responsibility for our nation. I also think as a woman it’s so important to vote because so many other women around the world don’t get a chance to get their voice heard. It is a huge responsibility as the actions of the government right now decide how we will live our lives. I feel the government which comes to power should focus on climate and human rights issues. The government does not give enough importance to the environment and how it is being affected because of deforestation and many other factors which is a bad sign for the future,” said Sneha Chandel, a student and first time voter in Ranchi.
Surabhi Rani Thakur, a Development Practitioner, feels that the government needs to focus more on female education and prevent school dropouts, especially girls. “I believe that the upcoming government should prioritise key areas such as education, women and children. While there are existing schemes aimed at addressing these issues, the crucial question is how aware are the beneficiaries of these schemes. Despite an overall increase in the literacy rate, it remains stagnant at 55% in females. Moreover, school dropout rates, particularly amongst girls, continue to persist. Therefore, the new government should incentivize the education system further and emphasize on skill development from an early age.”
“What I expect from the government is that nothing should be given free because this hides the worth of the product or service. I believe opportunities should be given to people on the basis of their capability. There should be some campaigns held for women to make them aware about their voting rights and how this one step can change the whole situation of the surroundings we live in. In rural areas the government should organise programmes to make people understand the importance of voting which will bring a drastic change in our nation and this will also make them realise the importance of this responsibility,” said family and student counsellor Rajini Singh.
