Ambedkar Women's Welfare Award for 2011-12 Winner Maya Suwalka

A woman activist from Deoli in Rajasthan's Tonk district who has bagged the prestigious Ambedkar Women's Welfare Award, has decided to share the award money with her associates who helped her in her campaign for women's empowerment, child rights, handicraft promotion and watershed development during the past decade.

Tonk District Child Welfare Committee chairperson Maya Suwalka received the Ambedkar Women's Welfare Award for 2011-12, comprising a citation and Rs.51,000 in cash, from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at a function marking Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's birth anniversary here on April 14.

The State government's Social Justice and Empowerment Department has instituted the award, given every year for distinguished services in the fields of women's empowerment and gender equality.

Ms. Suwalka, 36, has been given the coveted award in recognition of her multifarious developmental works in seven districts during the past 15 years. She has connected over 3,000 poor women with micro-credit by establishing as many as 200 women's self-help groups and facilitated their employment-oriented training.

In her capacity as the secretary of Deoli-based Amrapali Prashikshan Sansthan, Ms. Suwalka has helped about 1,000 youths belonging to below poverty line families with a series of livelihood programmes and equipped them to take up self-employment ventures.

Ms. Suwalka said here on Sunday that sharing the award money with her fellow activists would send across a message that social transformation is the result of “collective efforts and active participation” of a large number of stakeholders.

“An individual working for betterment of society cannot succeed without the [support of] larger community.”

The activist's track record comprises distinguished work in the fields of health, education, women and child welfare, vaccination and nutrition, AIDS control, prevention of child marriages, eradication of child labour, Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana, de-addiction and total sanitation campaign programmes.

Besides Tonk, the areas of her work have been Bundi, Kota, Baran, Pali, Bhilwara and Jaipur districts. She has also functioned as a field trainer of the panchayati raj functionaries and inspired the younger generation through her works.

Ms. Suwalka said her work had proved that skill enhancement among women would allow them to utilise the opportunities arising in the increasingly global market. The earning and productivity gap between men and women could be reduced by making use of demographic dividend in the State, she added.

(Note: JUNIOR ASSISTANTS IN A.P. BOARD OF INTERMEDIATE EDUCATION
SUBORDINATES SERVICE EXAM 08-07-2012 G.S. QUESTION)