Bhubaneswar: International Women’s Day is celebrated on Mach 8 globally to honour the social, political, economic and cultural achievements of women around the world. Several events take place on this day respecting and acknowledging women’s success saga.
Also, International Women’s Day is celebrated to break barriers, challenge stereotypes and create an environment where all women should be valued and respected. It is also an opportunity to foster different perspectives and women’s contributions in different parts of life, including the marginalised communities.
Theme
International Women’s Day is celebrated every year with a unique theme. The theme of this year is ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.’ This theme aims at targeting economic disempowerment. The campaign theme, ‘Inspire Inclusion’, emphasises giving importance to diversity and empowerment in all aspects of society. The campaign theme of 2024 plays a pivotal role in achieving gender equality.
Origin
International Women’s Day has its origins in the early 20th century, which arose from the labour movements in North America and Europe. The first National Women’s Day was observed in the United States on February 28, 1909, which was organized by the Socialist Party of America to commemorate the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.
Later in 1910, Clara Zetkin proposed International Women’s Day at the International Women’s Conference in Copenhagen. After being unanimously approved, International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911 in European countries, with over a million participants advocating for women’s rights. Over the years, the day has grown to become a global day.
The United Nations began celebrating the day in 1975, and two years later, in 1977, the UN General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for Women’s Rights and World Peace.
PM Modi’s gift to women
On International Women’s Day, PM Modi reduced cooking gas cylinder prices, easing the financial burden. The government extended the subsidy for poor women under Ujjwala Yojana, supporting well-being and a healthier environment. Modi reaffirmed commitment to empowering women and ‘Ease of Living’.
Making the announcement on X, PM Modi said that this will significantly ease the financial burden on millions of households across the country, especially benefiting ‘Nari Shakti’ (women power).
Odisha CM’s Women’s Day Gift
Ahead of Women’s Day, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a hike in the monthly remuneration of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) of the state and their service exit incentive amount. The ASHA workers will now get a monthly remuneration of Rs 7,000 instead of Rs 4,500 per month while their service exit incentive amount has been increased to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 50,000.
On February 29, the Chief Minister had announced an increase in the monthly remuneration of Anganwadi workers from Rs 7,500 to Rs 10,000. The exit incentive of Rs 40,000 was also increased to Rs 1 lakh.
