Today News diary on 8 march 2021

1. Lok Sabha Speaker meets Women Parliamentarians and Women Media persons on International
2. International Women's Day being celebrated today
3. "Women in tourism can be game changers in this sector”
4. Sports Minister flags off all-women Fit India Walkathon on International Women's Day
5. Legacy activities for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 restart in India on International
6. Wrestling: Bajrang Punia bags gold in Matteo Pellicon World ranking series
7. BCCI announces schedule for VIVO IPL 2021
8. Football Delhi launches 'Gift A Ball' Campaign to encourage and empower girls from underprivileged families to play Football
9. Now, single 139 railway helpline for all queries
10. Supreme Court may revisit 50% limit on total quotas
11.. India-New Zealand World Test Championship final in Southampton, says Sourav Ganguly

Happy Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8

International Women’s Day 2021 Date: Celebrated on March 8 every year, this day is symbolic of the historic journey women around the world have taken to better their lives. It comes as a reminder that while a lot has been achieved, the journey is long and a lot more needs to be done.

History and significance

International Women’s Day has been celebrated for over a century now. But while many people think of it as a feminist cause, its roots lie in the labour movement. It was first organised in 1911 by the early 20th century Marxist from Germany Clara Zetkin.

Zetkin was born in 1857 in Germany’s Wiederau. She trained as a teacher, and was associated with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) — one of the two major political parties in the country today. She was a part of both the labour movement and the women’s movement.

In the 1880s, when anti-socialist laws were enforced by German leader Otto von Bismarck, Zetkin went into a self-imposed exile in Switzerland and France. During this time, she wrote and distributed proscribed literature, and met leading socialists of the time. Zetkin also played a significant role in the formation of the Socialist International.

Upon her return to Germany, she became the editor of Die Gleichheit (‘Equality’) — SPD’s newspaper for women — from 1892 to 1917. In the SPD, Zetkin was closely associated with the far-left thinker and revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg. In 1910 — three years after she became a co-founder of the International Socialist Women’s Congress — Zetkin proposed at a conference that Women’s Day be celebrated in every country on February 28.

The conference comprised 100 women from 17 countries, with unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs and female legislators unanimously approving the suggestion. Women’s Day was observed for the first time in 1911.

Two years later, in 1913, the date was changed to March 8, and it continues to be celebrated as such every year.

International Women's Day 2021 Date: The theme for this year's International Women's Day is #ChooseToChallenge. It indicates that a "challenged world is an alert world, and from challenge comes change"

Why International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 ?

The concept of International Women’s Day emerged in the early 1900s at a time of great unrest, critical debates among women against oppression and inequality. In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. The next year, the Socialist Party of America observed the first National Woman’s Day across the United States on February 28, 1909. Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

Simultaneously, in 1910, the second International Conference of Working Women was held in Denmark’s Copenhagen, where Clara Zetkin, who led the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year, every country should celebrate on the same day to press for their demands. The conference with over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, and working women’s clubs greeted Zetkin’s suggestion unanimously.

On March 9, 1911, International Women’s Day was honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. More than one million women and men attended the rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

However, less than a week later, on March 25, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire took place in New York City where more than 140 women and girls died, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. One of the deadliest fires in the history of the United States, it drew significant attention to the working conditions and labour legislation in the country and became a focal point of the subsequent International Women’s Day events.

Meanwhile in Russia, on the eve of World War I, women observed their first International Women’s Day on February 23, the last Sunday in February, with a strike for “bread and peace” to protest the death of over two million Russian soldiers. While it was February 23 on the Julian calendar used then in Russia, according to the Gregorian calendar, it was March 8. Since then it has remained the global date for International Women’s Day as many women across Europe started protesting and raising their demands on that date.

In the United Nations, it was celebrated for the first time in 1975, and in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by the Member States in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

In 1996, the UN announced their first annual theme — “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future”, followed by “Women at the Peace table” in 1997. In 1998 “Women and Human Rights”, in 1999 “World Free of Violence Against Women”, each year had a new theme. Campaign themes over the years have also included: #ChooseToChallenge, #EachforEqual, #BalanceforBetter, #PressforProgress, #BeBoldforChange, #PledgeforParity, #MakeItHappen, #TheGenderAgenda and many more.

News in Detail

1. Lok Sabha Speaker meets Women Parliamentarians and Women Media persons on International Women's Day

In a first of its kind initiative, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met women parliamentarians and women journalists, on the occasion of International Women's Day, in Parliament House Complex on Monday. The event was also attended by Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of Women and Child Development and Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani.

2. International Women's Day being celebrated today

The day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year to help forge a gender equal world, celebrate women's achievements and their increasing visibility in every sphere of life.

This day celebrates the cultural, political, economic and social achievements of women. It also highlights the extraordinary roles played by women in almost every walk of life and celebrates acts of courage and determination by ordinary women. The theme this year is - Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.

It celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women have brought glory and laurels to the country and proved their abilities in various fields be it land, air and water. The Central Government has accorded high priority to the empowerment of women and undertaken many initiatives including access to education, better healthcare and improving gender sensitivity.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme has prevented gender biased sex selective elimination and ensured survival and protection of the girl child. Government also enacted the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act to abolish the practice of instant Triple Talaq. The law has contributed towards women empowerment and dignity.Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has provided free of cost cooking gas to women.

3. "Women in tourism can be game changers in this sector”

Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna DeshWebinar series held its 79th webinar titled “Weaving Growth of Rural India with SEWA & Airbnb India” on 6th March 2021.

8th March being International Women’s Day, the subject was appropriate in bringing forth the strength of women in the sector of tourism and also bringing forth the opportunities that exist.

The tourism sector currently provides through direct and indirect jobs 12.95% of all jobs in India and given the growing interest in experiential tourism there exist immense economic opportunities for the local communities especially for women entrepreneurs.

Empowering women by supporting them to become financially independent not only helps generate income, but also creates a tremendous engine for social change. The webinar discussed about the empowerment of women through improving the livelihoods of self-employed women workers from informal economy through various initiatives using technology, technical training, micro finance etc.

Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) was born in 1972 to empower women in textile field. SEWA is the only national union of women workers from the unorganized sector in India with more than1.5 million membership across 18 states in India.

Today 35% of SEWA’s membership is from the young generation. SEWA forayed in to tourism a few years back and is already spinning a success story in Gujarat.

4. Sports Minister flags off all-women Fit India Walkathon on International Women's Day

To commemorate International Women's Day, the Fit India Movement in association with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) organised an All Women Fit India Walkathon at Delhi's Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium.

The 2km event, was flagged off by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju who said "Our Secretary of Youth Affairs Usha Sharma herself is leading this All Women's Fit India Walkathon which has thousands of volunteers from NYKS participating in it across the country. With this, we want to lead by example and show that women can do anything they set their mind to and they are always in priority for us."

The walkathon was led by the Secretary of Youth Affairs Usha Sharma and Fit India Mission Director Ekta Vishnoi. Similar walkathons are being organised in 1000 venues across India .

Over 500 NYKS volunteers participated in the event in Delhi which also celebrated125 years of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

5. Legacy activities for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 restart in India on International Women’s Day

Legacy activities for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 restart in India on International Women’s Day

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Local Organising Committee of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 with support from FIFA, kicked off its Coach Education Scholarship Programme at Cooperage Stadium in Mumbai to further develop women’s football.

21 aspiring coaches from different parts of the city took part in the E-license course and were trained in both theoretical and practical elements of the game with all safety practices in place. This event signifies the start of the Coach Education Programme that will be carried forward to other districts of Maharashtra, including Pune, Thane, Nagpur and Kolhapur with Government of Maharashtra and the Western India Football Association (WIFA).

Chairperson of the Women’s Committee for WIFA : Madhurima Raje

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will take place in India in 2022.

6. Wrestling: Bajrang Punia bags gold in Matteo Pellicon World ranking series

In wrestling, World Championship bronze medallist Bajrang Punia has clinched a gold medal by defeating his familiar rival Tulga Tumur Ochir of Mongolia in the Matteo Pallicone World Ranking Series event in Rome.

Bajrang defeated Ochir 2-2 by criteria in the final of the 65kg freestyle. Bajrang, who was trailing Ochir 0-2 kept his composure and prevented Ochir from stretching his lead by showcasing quality defensive skills. The Indian wrestler walked away with a Gold medal after getting a 2-pointer in the last 30 seconds.

 This is Bajrang's second consecutive gold medal at the Matteo Pellicone event as he had finished on the top of the series in January 2020 as well.

 Returning to the international wrestling mat after over a year's gap due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bajrang Punia had advanced to the final of the Matteo Pallicone series after recording a 6-3 win over Joseph Christopher of the USA in the semi-final.

7. BCCI announces schedule for VIVO IPL 2021

The IPL Governing Council on Sunday announced the schedule for VIVO Indian Premier League 2021 to be held in India. After nearly two years, the IPL extravaganza will return home with Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai & Kolkata hosting the marquee event.

The season will kickstart on 9th April, 2021 in Chennai with a high octane clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The World’s Largest Cricket Stadium - Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the Playoffs as well as the final on 30th May, 2021 which promises to be a visual spectacle. The newly-built stadium that hosted India’s second Pink Ball fixture at home with great grandeur will host its first ever IPL. 

Each team is set to play at four venues during the league stage. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host 8 matches each. One of the highlights of this edition of the VIVO IPL will be the fact that all matches will be played at neutral venues, no team will play at their home venue. All teams will play at 4 out of 6 venues during the league stage.

There will be a total of 11 double headers where 6 teams will play three afternoon matches & two teams will play two afternoon matches. The afternoon games are slated for a 3:30 PM IST start while the evening games will have a 7:30 PM IST start.

After hosting the tournament safely and successfully in the UAE last year with all safety protocols in place, the BCCI is confident of hosting the IPL at home with health and safety of players and all people involved being paramount.

The fixtures of the tournament have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage, thus reducing commute and minimising risk. The VIVO IPL this year at home will be played behind closed doors to begin with and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament.

8. Football Delhi launches 'Gift A Ball' Campaign to encourage and empower girls from underprivileged families to play Football

To celebrate International Women’s Day with a great purpose and impact football development in the Capital City, Football Delhi on Monday launched “Gift A Ball” campaign at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Complex in New Delhi.

The campaign was kick started by Kiren Rijiju, Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the presence of Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia, Members of the Association, and a large gathering of women players.

The objective of the campaign is to promote football among girls, especially among underprivileged background. This initiative will also attempt to encourage football loving population in India to gift balls and turn this as a movement where gifting footballs to girls becomes a trend.

Football Delhi has also initiated a crowdfunding campaign from today to fund the ‘Gift A Ball’ initiative. Funds generated from the crowdfunding will be entirely used to gift footballs to underprivileged girls. For crowdfunding campaign Football Delhi is using Fuel A Dream platform as it is one of the most transparent platforms for crowdfunding campaigns.

During the launch event dignitaries and members of the Football Delhi gifted footballs to each of the 200+ girls present from underprivileged families.

9. Now, single 139 railway helpline for all queries

It will be available in 12 languages and passengers can either opt for IVRS or can directly connect to call centre executives

The railways on Monday announced the integration of all railway helplines into a single number -- 139, for all train travel related queries and complaints, including speaking with a call centre executive, security and medical assistance, fare enquiry, meal booking, and status of complaints.

“To overcome the inconvenience over multiple helpline numbers for grievances and enquiry during railway travel, Indian Railways has integrated all railway helplines into single number 139 (Rail Madad Helpline) for quick grievance redressal and enquiry during the journey,” the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.

While various railway grievances helplines were discontinued last year, the 182 helpline number will also be discontinued from April 1, 2021 and merged into the 139 helpline number.

The 139 helpline will be available in 12 languages and the passengers can either opt for IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) or directly connect to the call centre executives. “There is no need for a smart phone to call on 139, thus, providing easy access to all mobile users...on an average basis 139 helpline receives enquiry 3,44,513 calls/SMS per day,” it said.

The 139 helpline will address queries related to security and medical assistance, general complaints, vigilance-related complaints, parcel & goods, IRCTC operated trains and status of complaints. It will also address enquiries such as information regarding the PNR status, arrival/departure of the train, accommodation, fare enquiry, ticket booking, system ticket cancellation, wake up alarm facility/destination alert, wheelchair booking and meal booking.

10. Supreme Court may revisit 50% limit on total quotas

The Supreme Court of India. 
It may impact the challenge to legality of Tamil Nadu law which allows 69% quota in jobs, educational institutions. The Supreme Court on Monday may have opened up the possibility of reconsidering the ceiling imposed on total reservation, a move that may impact the challenge to the legality of a Tamil Nadu reservation law which allows 69% quota in State government jobs and educational institutions.

A three-judge Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan had, on March 3, deferred hearing a challenge to the law, opting to wait for a Constitution Bench to decide the validity of the Maratha quota law first.

However, on Monday, the Constitution Bench, which is also led by Justice Bhushan, decided to expand its ambit and re-examine whether reservation limit could cross the 50% ceiling limit as done by certain States like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The court, in short, decided to examine whether its Indira Sawhney case judgment of 1992, which fixed the ceiling limit of 50% for reservation in government jobs and educational admissions, requires a re-look by a larger Bench.

11.. India-New Zealand World Test Championship final in Southampton, says Sourav Ganguly

BCCI president, who has been on a medical break after undergoing a bypass surgery, is expected to travel to UK to watch the final match.

India will play their inaugural World Test Championship final against New Zealand at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl Stadium from June 18-22, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed on Monday.

Initially, the final was supposed to be held at the Lord’s but Southampton, with a five-star facility inside the stadium, will make it easier for both the ICC and the England and Wales Cricket Board to create a bio-bubble for the two teams. India qualified for the marquee clash after beating England 3-1 in a just-concluded Test series. The BCCI president, who has been on a medical break after undergoing a bypass surgery, is expected to travel to UK to watch the final match.