Special guest of the evening event will be Claudia Roth, Vice President of the German Parliament and a long-standing advocate for human rights, who will arrive in Delhi on Sunday morning and will be spending 6 days in India.

 

At this occasion, Ambassador Michael Steiner and the Indian NGO Centre for Social Research (CSR) will sign a renewed funding agreement on women empowerment. 

 

Germany is making available another 100,000 Euro (ca. Rs 70 Lakh) for a new CSR project, which is dedicated to saving female fetuses and working against pre-natal sex selection. Germany has already supported the previous CSR project “Meri Shakti, Meri Beti” from 2012 to 2014 with 100,000 Euro per year.

 

The documentary 'Meri Shakti, Meri Beti' on CSR’s programme will also be shown at this occasion.

 

Ambassador Steiner said: “Women’s Day is about giving girls and women the chance to exercise their right to make choices. The first choice - and maybe the most important one – has to be made by the parents even before birth: it’s about life or death. Every female fetus, every baby girl deserves a life. Therefore, Germany will continue to support the Centre for Social Research. Germany has been supporting CSR projects since 2012 and is making available an additional Rs 70 Lakh so that CSR’s indispensable and successful programme can continue. Altogether, we have contributed Rs 2,8 Crore since 2012. ”

 

In a letter to the German Ambassador dated Feb 18, Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, has expressed her support for this event.

 

March 8 is celebrated worldwide as International Women’s Day. It is an occasion to assess women's economic, political and social achievements and to have a critical look at what has and what has not been achieved regarding gender equality. This year's theme is “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture It!"