Events of CSEC
Patna. March 13. Society is up against a formidable challenge of successfully addressing the deleterious effects of climate change on our planet. Since women happen to possess very deep knowledge of the valuable traditions and practices of local eco-systems along with that of sustainable resource management, they are ideally suited to halt this downslide in the state of our environment. So, they should be empowered in such a way that permanent solutions to this problem can be identified and awareness about our environment is created among all. This view was enunciated by Dr. Prem Kumar, Hon’ble Minister, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department of the Government of Bihar during the course of a workshop titled Environmental Awareness at the Grassroots Level: Women as Agents of Change today. This program was jointly organized by the Center for Studies on Environment and Climate (CSEC) as well as Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), which are both part of the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) to commemorate the International Women’s Day.
While delivering the Special Address of the event, the Mayor of Patna, Ms. Sita Sahoo, praised the women of Bihar for contributing immensely to the sustenance of different livelihoods along with participating in all kinds of economic activities, be it in agriculture, handicrafts, and other services happening either in rural areas or in urban centers of the state. Moreover, she stated that women can serve effectively as agents of change in the lifestyles of people because it is imperative that human activity be modified to combat the grave crisis of environmental degradation.
Eight women with remarkable achievements in various sectors of work shared their inspiring stories after being felicitated by the Mayor. Among these eight, Ms. Anjali of Radio Mirchi stated that both women and Nature have very similar qualities of giving life. So, it is a reality that women will be the best spokesperson for teaching society about Nature so as to stymie the catastrophe of climate change. Ms. Devopriya Dutta of Tarumitra urged people to be a friend of Nature as this can result in fantastic consequences for our planet.
Moreover, sixteen women achievers who have done commendable work at the grassroots level of endeavors like ANM, ASHA, Anganwadi, JSS and Jeevika were also appreciated and duly awarded. Ward Councilor Ms. Shweta Rai and Ms. Diksha Priyadarshini, the Mukhiya of Sadisopur Panchayat were also honored for their efforts.
Earlier, the Member-Secretary of ADRI, Dr. Ashmita Gupta suggested in her Opening Address that we should pay attention to the little things in the stories of women so that it can culminate in a big beneficial effect on the environment in future. Dr. Sunita Lall of ADRI presented a memento on behalf of ADRI to the Mayor. Dr. Sandeep Kumar, Director of JSS compered the event while Dr. Sunil Kumar Gupta of CSEC gave the Vote of Thanks.