New Delhi, (GNI): Women in LPG (WINLPG) National Chapter Inauguration have been announced today to bring out a change to widen the women leaders in the LPG Sector and empower women in the workforce for faster economic growth.
Our Government is committed to United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 5, i.e. Women empowerment and gender equality. We believe that investing in women’s economic empowerment seta a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and an inclusive economic growth. Today, I feel it is indeed a perfect moment for us to reflect how we can drive the economic empowerment of women in Indian LPG industry. Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been instrumental in promoting schemes ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign which also talks about the need to understand, accept and internalize equal status of women. We are also coming up with dedicated Women ITIs in the country, which will help develop women to employment skills for assured jobs. These women ITIs will help in increasing the women participation in varied and non-stereo-typed sectors, which have till date been the male bastion. Specifically, through the WINLPG forum we would like to develop a talent pool that can increase women’s role in the supply of LPG which represents an important employment sector with growth potential – directly and indirectly. Engaging women in the LPG supply chain is an effective strategy for gender equality as well as LPG promotion. This also means that a LPG industry’s wealth can be leveraged to rapidly generate the dividends of women economic empowerment. This was a relatively untapped strategy, whose tremendous acceleration potential was decoded only by my Government said Shri Dharmendra Pradhan (Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship).
Mr. Sanjiv Singh, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd said, “We believe will play a greater part in developing women leaders in the LPG sector and definitely contribute in making a substantial contribution towards gender equality. It will enable the industry to expand the size of the talent pool. This will also enable senior leaders to act as role models and mentors to the new women entrants. WINLPG will give platform to women professionals to be a key contributor to the conversation and engage more actively with the industry, from the standpoint of a woman.”
While delivering the inaugural address of the National Chapter meet of the Women in LPG (WINLPG), a global network dedicated to the support and promotion of women in the LPG industry said that ladies have contributed immensely to the development and advancements in the LPG business and recognized their role in taking LPG industry where it stands today.
“Women have done a wonderful job and are leading from the front in the LPG field. They are occupying leading positions in oil marketing companies and LPG industry. WINLPG has a definitive role in the Indian context and can help in pollution mitigation if more and more LPG is used in automobiles. The need of the hour is to promote clean fuels like Auto LPG. LPG has to be further promoted in rural India so that women who use wood or other substances for cooking should switch to LPG. This will help in the better health of the women, apart from savings in time for them. About 2.5 crore rural and poor women have been given LPG connection without upfront charges as part of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana,” said Mr. Pradhan.
Under the Ujjwala scheme launched by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in May 2016, 5 crore LPG connections are to be given out by 2019 to families that are Below Poverty Line (BPL).
According to recent report by SBI, the rural inflation has come down in the last one year, hinting that it is probably because of more and more rural households using the LPG cylinders now.
Mr. James Rockall, CEO, Managing Director, WLPGA One of the greatest burdens on health in the world today, comes from cooking with traditional fuels which claim the lives of nearly 4 million people per year, impacting predominately women and children. WINLPG India can support a transition to a cleaner India which can both empower women can improve lives at the same time.
Miss Nikki Brown, Chair, WINLPG, said that there are many economic and health benefits associated with the use of LPG in cooking instead of conventional and biomass options. Also, women have had an exemplary role in the reach and distribution of LPG but they can do a lot more for deeper penetration of this fuel for better environment protection and healthier families.
All officers of oil marketing companies, particularly women officers, have a role to play in driving this clean fuel further, she further added.
“Through our efforts of advocacy and educating, we have achieved some success since our inception in 2015 but we have to go further. We have to find innovative ways to promote LPG for deriving greater environmental and health dividend for the communities,” said Miss Brown.
Women officers from Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited spoke on the opportunities for further penetration of LPG in villages and resolved to work towards the same.
WINLPG has been formed in view of the profound and all important role that women play in households and matters of choice of cooking materials and fuel.
About WINLPG: Since its creation in September 2015, WINLPG has established itself as a well-supported network. The network has full support of WLPGA members and Board. Three network meetings are held each year, the first Knowledge Exchange Workshop was held in Bogota, the second in New Delhi in January 2017. Two national chapters have been launched in South Africa and Nigeria, a third national chapter will be launched in India later in 2017. A suite of WINLPG role model profiles have been produced and are available online. There is also ongoing discussion with the Women in Nuclear Global Network and their UK Chapter, to assess how to set up efficient national chapters.
The priority for WINLPG has been to attract, retain and develop women in the LPG industry through its network. WINLPG’s mission is to support and empower women in the LPG Industry by leadership, coaching, mentoring and promoting role models and case studies.ends
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