US, India to set up training programme for women empowerment

CHENNAI: United States and India would set up a regional training programme as part of efforts to empower women from the rural areas, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday.

Addressing members of city-based NGO "Working Women's Forum", the visiting American leader said "the Government of United States and the Government of India will establish a regional training programme at the Asian University of Women to train more women like you".

Hailing the NGO which had grown to over one million members today from a mere 800 in 1978, Clinton on her maiden visit to the city, said the US would continue its support in fighting violence against women.

She said the United States along with global alliance partners would help India in developing clean cook stoves for Indian homes as many women suffer from health problems at home due to the smoke.

"We are very proud that the Indian Government has launched the National Biomass Cook Stove Mission two years ago to save lives.. We will work with people around the world to help manufacture clean cooking stove so that it is affordable to buy," she said.

Clinton said "We are delighted that we have partners right here like the Working Women's Federation, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)."

She also announced that the global banking giant Goldman Sachs has decided to support a training programme of the Indian School of Business to help Self-Helf Groups to develop knowledge and skills from the local Panchayat to global level.

After patiently hearing the success stories of some of the women members of the forum, she said the life of women in countries like Bangladesh, India, Chile, South Africa had been changing rapidly.

Earlier, Clinton visited an exhibition at the premises of the forum on the harmful impacts of cooking stove and the latest cooking stoves developed by various companies.