New York, Mar 10 (PTI) Six trailblazing women have been honoured here on the occasion of International Women's Day for their leadership and pioneering contribution to various fields by the Consulate General of India and the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).

The Consulate General and the FIA NY-NJ-CT-NE honoured the women leaders at a special event commemorated on the International Women's Day on Tuesday.

Also Read | Mexico Shooting: 9 People, Including Three Women, Shot Dead at Private Residence in Atlixco.

Entrepreneur Sejal Lakhani Bhatt; first female South Asian Municipal Court Judge in New Jersey Dipti Vaid Dedhia; community activist Seema Kumar; entrepreneur and philanthropist Chaya Pamula; Executive Director of Girls on the Run NYC Allison Hauser, and Executive Director and Group Strategist Bankkai Group Priyanka Brahmbhatt were awarded at the event held at the Consulate General of India here.

Consul General Randhir Jaiswal said that the government of India is focused, determined and in action mode to bring women empowerment, women's development and progress to the center of the country's growth and prosperity.

Also Read | White House Warns Russia May Use Chemical Weapons in Ukraine.

He said that programmes and initiatives by the government such as Swachh Bharat campaign of building toilets across the length and breadth of India, the Ujjwala Yojana to provide clean cooking gas connections, the MUDRA Yojana to provide loans and financing, Jan Dhan Yojana and the flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao all have women at the centre of focus and attention and aimed at benefitting the country's women.

Jaiswal also expressed hope that the world, through concerted action, will be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 5 of gender equality and women empowerment by 2030.

FIA President Kenny Desai said that “nari shakti has impacted our culture for centuries” and played a major role in building and enhancing society.

Noting that the theme of this year's International Women's Day is “Break the Bias,” he said that the commemoration calls for celebrating the “social, cultural, economic and political achievements of all woman in society and in our lives”.

He said this year's awardees have made their mark at the highest levels and contributed significantly to the community.

“They are challenging gender stereotypes and their diverse representation accelerates the process of creating a gender-balance world,” he said.

FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya congratulated the honourees and highlighted the significant role played by women in shaping a person's life.

Addressing the gathering, Abha Jaiswal, dentist and a leading public health specialist said the International Women's Day is a call to action and a day to reflect on what has been done and what still needs to be done.

She said that women empowerment will not be possible if each and every member of society is not the part of the process and contributes to achieving the goal of gender equality.

"For women empowerment to be real and permanent, it is imperative to collectively engage every section of our society. Let's work towards it. It's a continuum,” she said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)