By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 9 Mar: Celebrating International Women’s Day 2022, UPES Dehradun ran a campaign, ‘Burst the Bias’, urging people to take a stand against all the prejudices women face and putting an end to them. The campaign was carried out in multiple locations in Dehradun and amplified on digital platforms.
The initiative was whole-heartedly supported by UPES Vice-Chancellor Dr Sunil Rai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Ram Sharma, and Sharad Mehra, Chairman, Hydrocarbon Education Research Society and joined by deans, faculty members, employees and support staff of the university.
During the campaign, photo booths were placed at various government offices, public spaces and media houses like the Secretariat, Police Station- Prem Nagar, Pacific Mall, Vikas Mall, Astley Hall apart from the university campuses at Bidholi and Kandoli. At the photo booth, government officials, visitors, UPES students, parents and faculty were asked to write a particular bias against women on a balloon and burst it, reiterating the importance of gender equality.
Dr Sunil Rai said, “Empowering women has been the core of all our initiatives at the campus. We strongly believe that women play a vital role in the growth of any economy and for its uplift women need to be recognised as equals. UPES has been putting in every effort to support and help women realise their potential, taking them closer to achieving their dreams. For us it is not a single day but a constant endeavour to cultivate an inclusive, gender-diverse environment that fosters the development and growth of women.”
In line with the International Women’s Day theme, “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”, the university runs several initiatives that are focused on the holistic development of women under its flagship programme, ‘Shakti’, that ranges from access to formal education for girls, skill training, leadership training and personality grooming.
Under Shakti, UPES hosts a women’s internal cricket tournament called the Shakti Challengers’ Cup which concluded on Women’s Day. There were six teams that participated, with women from various departments and the winning team was formed by the supporting staff at UPES.
Under the Shakti programme, there is also a scholarship initiative for girls in which over 5000 scholarships have been announced and offered since the initiative was launched in 2020, leadership programmes for women are held with a focus on adaptive skills, emotional intelligence, business communication and more.
All these initiatives aim at accelerating the gender equality journey, helping women realise their potential, focus on their growth, and contribute to the nation.
