The State Government should ensure land rights to poor single women to boost their self-confidence, this was said by experts attending a two-day national workshop on ‘Developing Policies for Ensuring Rights of Single Women’ organised by Actionaid, an anti-poverty agency, here on Thursday.
The activists include United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) State programme coordinator Dr Deepa Prasad, academician Dr Manoranjan Mohanty and State Commission for Women member Snehanjali Mohanty said that women are constantly marginalised and the state of single women is even worse. Therefore, the Government policy for women must be specific and inclusive towards single women, they added.
Actionaid programme manager Ghsiram Panda urged the State Government to frame policy to empower the single women living in the State. Though the State Government has opened Women Support Centres (WSCs) and has distributed land to some women, Panda said, but a lot of work need to done for inclusive growth of the poor single women.
Attending the workshop single women from Ganjam district, who have already received land through the WSC, said that the land gave them identity. Now they could able to get ration card, residential certificate and other facilities of the Government by showing the land patta. “The small piece of the land has become a matter of pride, self respect and wealth for me,” said Bhagyalata Sahu of the district.