For the next two days, starting Saturday, around 300 women legislators from across the country will converge here to debate on ‘Building Resurgent India’. The National Conference of Women legislators will be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee’ and is expected to have participation of senior women leaders of the country.
Addressing the media on Friday, lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, the host of the conclave, said this conference is expected to equip the women legislators with latest knowledge in relevant areas and provide them with right perspective and motivation. “The valedictory session addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be held at Parliament’s Central Hall on Sunday and former President Prathiba Patil, senior leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Ben, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Speaker of Bangladesh Shirin Chaudhury will participate,” said Mahajan.
“We are also inviting members from Judiciary and Bureucracy. The conference is likely to be attended by 300 legislators,” added the Speaker. The conference will comprise of a plenary session and three sessions. The first session ‘Contributing to Social Development’ will be chaired by former lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Union Ministers Maneka Gandhi and Smriti Irani will be the panelists of the session moderated by
Supriya Sule.
The second session ‘Contributing to Economic Development’ will be chaired by Anandiben Patel. Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Harsimrat Kaur will be the panelists of the session moderated by TRS MP Kavita K. Former Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit will chair the third session titled as ‘Contributing to Better Governance and legislation’. Union Minister Uma Bharati and former Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Desai and former Chief Secretary Shailaja Chandra will be the panelists in the session moderated by Congress MP Sushmita Dev.
To the queries on whether all women MPs will speak on International Women’s Day as per the PM’s suggestion, Mahajan said it is yet to be decided. “We may take a decision on this in this conference,” she maintained.