Haryana State Law Commission member highlights women’s rights

International Women’s Day was celebrated on Saturday at Dr D Sunderasen Auditorium of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal. Dr Sarika Gupta, member, Haryana State Law Commission, Panchkula, as the chief guest at the event, highlighted the rights of women.

“In India, women’s rights are safeguarded by a strong legal framework, which includes constitutional provisions and specific laws. The Constitution ensures equality before the law (Article 14), and prohibits sex-based discrimination (Article 15),” she said.

Key legislation included the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which combatted domestic abuse; and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, which tackled workplace harassment, she added.

She said the Maternity Benefit Act protected pregnant women’s employment rights, while the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, mandated equal pay for equal work.

These laws promoted gender equality in family, employment and property ownership, she added.

Lauding Sarojini Naidu for her work towards gender equality, she said, “National Women’s Day is observed annually on February 13 in India and commemorates the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu.”

Director and Vice-Chancellor Dr Dheer Singh said the theme of the event this year, “For All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment”, emphasised the importance of universal rights and opportunities, ensuring that every girl could contribute to a more equitable future. “It is a great privilege for NDRI that over 50 per cent of the institute’s students are girls. In the recently held convocation, 6 medals were won by girl students. Our institute was also a part of Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI), a novel intervention programme for promoting gender equity in science and technology,” he said.

Dr AK Singh, Joint Director (Academic), and Dr Rajan Sharma, Joint Director (Research), said the day marked the contributions of women to various fields. Short videos prepared by students on women icons of the Indian agricultural system were showcased at the event.