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New York, United
States, Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje was conferred
the Third “U.N. Women Together Award” on the evening of May 14th in
New York. The award was given to Smt. Raje by Ms. Heba Abdellatif,
from the Department of Political Affairs, United Nations.
‘Women Together Award’ is a tribute to women that are involved in
promoting peace, reconciliation, gender equality, fight against
extreme poverty, encouraging education, art and culture. Smt.
Raje while accepting the trophy and certificate said “this is the
day to remember for the women artisans of Rajasthan. My presence at
the ceremony is dedicated to the enterprise and skill of women in
Rajasthan”. Outlining the successful SHG (Self Help Group) movement
in the state, she said, "Today, 1,30,000 Women Self Help groups are
proudly and efficiently dealing micro-credit worth Rs. 1600 Million
and are attending to the consumptive and economic needs of their
families. ...the fabric I am wearing today (pink and gold Kota doria
Saree) is an example of their magic". This honour rightfully belongs
to the women of Rajasthan," she added.
Chief Minister Raje has been selected for this award
'recognizing her understanding compassion of the miseries of the
citizens of Rajasthan as well as her long lasting dedication to
social causes'.
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The Chief Minister
of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje
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This
year, along with Vasundhara Raje, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, Noble
Laureate Wangari Maathai, Artiste Yoko Ono, Novelist, Barbara Probst
Solomon, Theatre and TV Producer Francine LeFrak, Economist Isabel
Estape and Journalist Rosa Maria Calaf shall also be honoured by
this award. The institutional awards went to Santander Universidades
and the Microcredit Summit for their commitment to the Millennium
Development Goals.
Fashion for Development is an
initiative of the Raje government in Rajasthan to support millions
of families involved in the traditional khadi, handloom and
handicraft occupations through fashion. It believes that fashion is
not only a preference or privilege of the rich but is intrinsically
woven in the cultural milieu of the state. This initiative was
launched in 2005 to link artisans, weavers and craftspeople to the
fashion industry. This includes:
* Kota doria handloom in villages around Kota district.
* Cotton and woolen Khadi around Jaipur and Bikaner districts. There are
more than 5000 weaver families and 15000 women engaged in Khadi
spinning in western Rajasthan. Rajasthan has 45% of the country's
wool production and is endowed with 8 varieties of sheep breeds.
* Eco-friendly handicrafts of the Tal Chapar Black Buck Sanctuary. State
Government has started an innovative programme in the Tal Chapar
Black-Buck Sanctuary of Churu district to provide sustainable rural
livelihood to women SHGs. The women of the state have learnt skills
for making attractive eco-friendly handicraft products using local
forest produce such as grasses, roots and twigs to make decorative
bangles, hair-bands, ear-rings, wall-hangings bangles and fashion
accessories. The villages of Rampura, Dewani, Surwas,
Gopalpura and Chandwas, more than 100 women in 5 SHGs are working
with a dedicated team of young design assistants.
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