International day for women and girls in science

Tags: Important Days

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed every year on 11 February.

An overview of the news:

• It was announced by the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate this day on 22 December 2015 to ensure the strong role of women in the field of science and technology as well as to increase gender empowerment.

• This day is celebrated jointly by UNESCO and the United Nations Women's Association (UN Women).

Efforts of the Government of India to increase the role of women and girls in the field of science:

Vigyan Jyoti Scheme:

• Vigyan Jyoti Yojana has been launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

• The scheme aims to increase the percentage of women in the STEM education sector.

GATI Scheme:

• Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) will create a comprehensive charter and framework for assessing gender equality in STEM.

KIRAN Scheme:

• The Kiran scheme was launched by the Department of Science and Technology under the Union Ministry of Science and Technology.

• The full form of Kiran is 'Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing'.