Kozhikode: For the first time in the history of Indian politics, Youth Congress (YC), the youth wing of the Indian National Congress, has invited applications from aspiring women to be part of its cadre.
It offers a fellowship to the selected women leaders so that they can be mentored and elevated to the party's leadership positions.
YC has invited applications from women activists and changemakers to be part of its 'Shakti Super She' project through which it plans to provide a full-time fellowship of up to Rs 25,000 per month for nine months to bring new women workers to the party and groom their political career. Based on their performance, the capable candidates would be promoted to be in charge of block units and then to district in charge.
Selected women candidates would be given the Indira Gandhi fellowship. During the nine months, they must form an 'Indira Activity Centre' (IAC-Shakti Club) preferably in their locality and attract new women workers to the party. Each of them has to strengthen their team members politically and make them aware of their legal rights.
For this, these fellow members will get orientation and they will be assessed in each trimester.
"This is part of the Youth Congress' plan to ensure 33 per cent of women's reservation at our organisational level," said Vidhya Balakrishnan, Youth Congress national committee secretary. "The national committee follows the women's reservation policy while electing its members and this will be replicated in the upcoming election to the Kerala state committee too," she told Onmanorama.
While the project is being implemented in Kerala, the selection process has almost completed in Karnataka and orientation programmes have started.
"YC is planning to give over 200 fellowships across India. We are getting good response from the states. If there are more fellows recruited, the fellowship amount will be reduced accordingly," she said. Vidhya is one of the three in charge of the project.
In Kerala, the recruitment would start only after YC elects a state committee.
