The Government of India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, has expressed renewed commitment to advancing gender equality. The Government has initiated interventions including Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samridhi Yojana, Janani Suraksha Yojana for the empowerment and education of girls and to tackle the determinants of discrimination against girls and women.

In September 2015 at the UN General Assembly’s Sustainable Development Summit in New York, India was one of 193 UN Member states to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals. India supported the need for a stand-alone Goal on gender at the international negotiations that preceded the adoption of Agenda 2030, recognizing that women have a critical role to play in all of the SDGs. The NITI Aayog has been entrusted with the responsibility to plan, monitor and coordinate efforts across Central Ministries and State governments on the Sustainable Development Goals.

In order to mark International Women’s Day 2016, NITI Aayog, in partnership with MyGov and the UN in India, presents a contest to crowdsource stories that celebrate the indomitable spirit of women who have made a difference.

The theme of the campaign is Women Transforming India. Stories could focus on women breaking new ground, empowering herself and/or others or challenging stereotypes; particularly in the following areas:

1. Economic - demonstrated leadership in setting up small businesses/enterprises to generate livelihood opportunities for communities

2. Social and Cultural - Community leadership challenging discriminatory practices, norms and mindsets

3. Environment - Leading initiatives to preserve the environment and respond to the challenges of climate change

The above could have been achieved through the use of technology or on-ground innovative methods.

Details of the campaign are as follows:

• Entries should be in the form of a written essay, of no more than 500 words, in English or Hindi.

• Submission should preferably be accompanied by relevant photographs that enable visualization of the effort.

• All photographs should have an explanatory caption in English or Hindi.

• Deadline for submission is 15th April, 2016. Entries must be submitted online: https://mygov.in.

• A shortlist of 10 best entries will be put to poll on MyGov.in to determine the top three entries. Polling for the winning entries will, tentatively, take place from 16 April to 21 April, 2016.

• Winning entries will be determined by a jury constituted by NITI Aayog. They will receive a certificate of appreciation from NITI Aayog and the UN in India. Winners may also have a chance to interact directly with policy makers in the Government of India.

For detailed Terms and Conditions and Evaluation Criteria, click here.

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