Gender equality conference in Kerala in Feb

The second edition of International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II) would be held from February 11 to 13, Health Minister KK Shailaja has said. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate IGCE-II and a 'Gender Park' in Kozhikode.

Thiruvananthapuram: The second edition of International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II) would be held from February 11 to 13, Health, Social Justice and Women and Child Development Minister KK Shailaja said on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the IGCE-II as well as a 'Gender Park' in Kozhikode.

On an opening day, he will lay the foundation stone of International Women's Trade and Research Centre that envisages a secure and sustained ecosystem for women entrepreneurs and a space for them to market products.

The valedictory ceremony will be inaugurated by Kerala Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac. It would see the announcement of a policy draft based on the highlights of the sessions at ICGE-II.

A Gender Museum, Gender Library, Convention Centre and an Amphitheatre will be part of the first phase of the 'Gender Park' project, which aims towards gender equality in the state, Shailaja told the media here.

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The 'Gender Park' is not only the first of its kind in the country but also the world, Shailaja said.

The Rs 300-crore 'Gender Park' will comprise three towers and the project has been handed over to Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society, India's oldest worker cooperative founded in 1925.

"Already we have allotted Rs 26 crore for the 'Gender Park' and another Rs 15 crore for the next financial year," the Minister said. The government has also approved an administrative sanction of Rs 172 crore."

A total of 100 delegates, besides 50 speakers, will hold nine plenary sessions and as many parallel sessions during the ICGE-II amid Covid-19 protocols.

They will include policymakers, academics, professionals and domain experts, besides Ministers and diplomats from 30 countries.

Legislators A Pradeep Kumar and Purushan Kadalundi, besides 'Gender Park' CEO PTM Sunish were present at the press conference addressed by Shailaja.

The first edition of the ICGE was held at Kovalam near Thiruvananthapuram in 2015 on the theme of 'Gender, Governance and Inclusion'. It saw the release of Kerala State Policy for Transgenders.

IANS