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Aizawl, the 4^thNovember 2022 : President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu yesterday interacted with female students and women faculty members of Mizoram University along with some women led Self Help Groups (SHGs) at the Auditorium of Mizoram University after she graced the 17^thConvocation of Mizoram University held earlier yesterday afternoon.

Addressing the interaction, the President mentioned that she has been told about the steady progress and achievements of women in various fields in Mizoram and hoped that in the coming years women’s contribution towards the overall development of Mizoram would rise and their role would be enhanced. She expressed her happiness in noting that a large number of female students had been awarded gold medals for academic excellence at the Convocation. 

She pointed out that besides jobs in the government sector, women must be empowered economically so that they can have their own start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures and said that more proactive steps need to be taken and existing support systems in place presently need to be strengthened and augmented. She highlighted the role and importance of SHGs towards the economic empowerment of women, particularly in rural areas and said that SHGs must be encouraged and supported as economic activities undertaken by SHGs can bring about a huge difference in the lives of women for the better.  

She remarked that women faculty members of Mizoram University particularly from the science stream have a huge responsibility of documenting, nurturing and preserving the rich biodiversity of Mizoram and encouraged them to undertake more research activities in these fields.