East Shillong legislator and former Cabinet Minister, Ampareen Lyngdoh, emphasized the importance of the gender budget introduced by the Meghalaya government on Friday, describing it as a policy-driven framework aimed at strengthening women's empowerment and embedding gender sensitivity in governance through targeted policies and budgetary allocations.
Speaking during a felicitation programme for young achievers organized by the Meghalaya State Commission for Women on the occasion of International Women's Day, Lyngdoh highlighted that the State budget now includes a dedicated chapter on the gender budget, which she said will help shape policies focused on women's empowerment.
She also stressed the need to focus on counseling men in families facing conflict, noting that gender sensitivity must involve both women and men.
According to her, empowerment has moved beyond mere rhetoric and is now reflected through concrete policies and budget heads, and it is important to ensure that the intended purpose of funds reaches every woman in every community.
Lyngdoh also spoke about the broader commitment of the international community towards safeguarding the interests of women and children, stating that events such as the International Women's Day observance help create platforms to address critical issues concerning rights, justice, and action.
She pointed out that rights are often the most compromised for women and emphasized that while women must remember their rights, these are also complemented by responsibilities. She called upon organizations that are legally empowered to ensure that the rights of every woman and child are protected and not ignored or taken advantage of.
Highlighting challenges in the digital age, she said that social media has become a powerful tool for disseminating information, and no longer respects privacy, with women and children often being denied justice, and stressed the need for collective dialogue across different platforms and groups of women to ensure that justice is not delayed.
Lyngdoh also welcomed the recognition of young achievers from various communities, saying that more such initiatives are needed across districts, villages, and blocks, as a single program is insufficient, and emphasized that efforts to empower women must become systemic and continuous rather than limited to March 8 each year.