Women leaders to attend gender fest

KOZHIKODE: Minister for Social Welfare M K Muneer has announced that a 10-day fest would be held in connection with the foundation stone-laying for the ‘Thantedam Gender Park’ in the city on March 8. Around 1,000 delegates from across the world including Nobel Prize winning women and women leaders, entrepreneurs and politicians would participate in the fest. The `10 crore-project, which would come up at the Juvenile Home compound, will have a cultural complex, museum, library, space for women writers, convention centre and skill development centres and will cater to the needs of women from all strata of the society. The park, which would be the first-of-its-kind in India, would also have Women IT Park and BPO. “Thantedam Gender Park would become a model for the nation when it starts functioning fully,” said the minister at the press conference held at the Collectorate Conference Hall. The works of the park is expected to  be completed within one year.Food, literary, sports and film fests have also been planned as part of the event. The programmes would be conducted with the help of various government departments. A history conference the lives of women in our state would be the major event. One hundred women would be honoured at the function for their contributions to the society and a lifetime achievement award would also be awarded at the fest.