A Rally organized by the Nishtha Single Women’s group ‘Ekal Nari Sangathan’ marked International Women’s Day in Dharamshala this year. Starting from the main Post Office, 135 women from four different blocks covered in our programme marched in procession to the District Commissioner’s office. They carried banners and chanted slogans about their demands which include a review of the pension scheme for single women, free medical treatment for single women and their children, fast track courts for single women’s cases, easier issuing of the below poverty line ration card, provision of land to those single women who don’t have family and financial support and free bus services and holidays on Women’s Day for women working in the Government.
On reaching the Government offices they met with ADC Suresh Kumar Malhotra who talked with them about the work of the Ekal Nari Sangathan in this area for the welfare of single women. They requested to ADC to convey their demands to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh on the behalf of single women. The ADC read their letter and said that he is willing to help them and will talk with the CM regarding these demands.
At the end of the rally we had distributed bags printed with the Single Women’s logo to all the women who had take time out of their busy days to participate in the rally. The single women said that they are very happy to be members of the Ekal Nari Sangathan where they are getting a chance to raise their issues in front of government and change the situation not only for themselves as individuals but for all single women.
