Three elected women representatives from Tripura, Andhra Pradesh Rajasthan would take part in the 57th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population Development (CPD), officials said here on Monday.

A Tripura government official said that three elected women representatives from rural India would showcase grassroots women’s leadership at a UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities) event in New York.

Smt. Supriya Das Dutta, Sabhadhipati, Sepahijala Zilla Parishad, will attend the 57th session of the United Nation’s Commission on Population Development to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York from April 29 to May 3rd, 2024.

In the session, Ms. Dutta will represent the country along with two other Indian women. They are Ms. Kunuku Hema Kumari, Gram Pradhan (Sarpanch) of Pekeru Gram Panchayat under West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh and Smt. Neeru Yadav, Gram Pradhan (Sarpanch) of Lambi Ahir Gram Panchayat in Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. All of them were nominated by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India.

Additional Director of State Panchayat Department Mr. Prasun Dey today informed this. Mr Dey also remarked that she is a born leader and tried to make some basic changes over the attitude of administration and society towards women in order to create women friendly Panchayat. Mrs Dutta, he added, is instrumental over creation of various forums for women.

Sepahijala Zilla Sabhadhipati Smt. Dutta left for Delhi on Sunday for the purpose.  Before leaving the state, she said in an interview that in the summit, she would deliberate issues such as women's empowerment and gender inequality, including the role, leadership and impact of women in the development process in the country. Because, she added, since she got the opportunity to work under the Panchayati Raj system as an elected representative in 2019, she has been working on these issues with utmost importance. Mrs Dutta further said that India can achieve excellence only if the rural women are economically self-reliant and established.  And this is what the central and state governments of the country want and work is continuing in materialisation of this policy and concepts.

She said that to meet up basic needs of the people of rural areas such as house, water, health, education and communication infrastructure in accordance with the policies and programs of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, plans are adopted at the grassroots level and implemented for the overall welfare of the rural people. The Panchayati Raj system has also extended ample opportunity to women towards becoming self-reliant. In Sepahijala district, she added, self-help groups are being formed among women with the aim of covering 100% household coverage, to make womenfolk economically self-reliant. Furthermore, she held that women also have to come forward to catch the emergent potential of opportunities.

Supriya Das Dutta, daughter of Shital Das, a day labourer of Laxmibeel, Bishalgarh, grew up struggling hard with poverty, yet, she passed the secondary examination in the first division. In 2005, she got married to Uttam Dutta, a small trader dealing in electric equipment from Champamura in Bishalgarh. Mrs Dutta said due to the encouragement received from her in-laws, she passed D-Pharma from Bengaluru. Mrs Supriya Das Dutta, observed that it is a big deal for a married woman to go for study outside and also taking out time and opportunity to serve the public as an elected representative. She got this opportunity since her husband and in-laws are very sensible and cooperative people. She remarked, "If every girl's in-laws are of such kind, then domestic violence will not happen in this society. This moral education received from her father and in-law's house has inspired him to remain engaged in public service.

Mrs Supriya Dutta’s son Udayan is studying in class 9. However, she cannot give enough time for his son as she has to remain engaged with the works of the district council and the society throughout the day. Failure to spend much time for her son has sometimes pained her, beyond which she has no regrets in the life. Asked about her feeling of representing the country in such a big international session, she said, "I am very proud to have got this opportunity". She said that her family members, her in-laws and people in the village have already come to know about this. They are also proud of Supriya Devi getting this opportunity. Also, many people came to her house and greeted her.