when the government announced the national education policy 2020, this july, it received a positive response from youngsters. you have now got an opportunity to meet and interview mrs varsha gaikwad, the cabinet minister of the state.frame 10 questions you would ask her in the interview.
Answers
Explanation:
For Varsha Eknath Gaikwad (45), Dharavi in Mumbai is much more than a constituency. She calls it home.
The 4 time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Indian National Congress ( INC) from Dharavi- Asia’s biggest slum- has had her boots on the ground for the last 6 months in the efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in one of the most densely populated slums in the world. From decentralising medical screening to streamlining the process of sending migrant workers back home, she has been in the middle of it all, personally overseeing the efforts.
As the education minister of Maharashtra, Varsha Gaikwad has also had to oversee the transition of education to online activities among other things.
As an ardent Phule-Ambedkarite, and only one of the 3 Dalit women MLAs in the Maharashtra state legislative assembly, she believes it is important to pave opportunities for women from marginalised communities and vest them with diverse ministerial portfolios.
“ If I am the education minister today, it is because of the path set by Savitribai and Jotiba Phule and Babasaheb Ambedkar”, she told Behanbox.
In a long conversation with BehanBox and Women for Politics, Varsha Gaikwad talks about her journey as a dalit woman in politics, her efforts to contain the pandemic in Dharavi and how the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Savitribai Phule guide her everyday in her politics.
This is part of a new series titled “Women, Power and Politics”, where we bring you conversations with radical and progressive women leaders from across the world. The first edition of the series features women political leaders from the South Asia region.
Tell us about your background, childhood and entry into politics.
I feel fortunate to be in politics today considering the background that I come from. We belong to the Dalit Magasvasrgiya community in Maharashtra and grew up with great financial difficulties, living in a big joint family. I am a first generation learner in my family who studied beyond the 10th grade and attended college and university. I have a masters degree in mathematics and also a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed). I was into academics before I entered politics
From what I remember, even as a 12 year old, I wanted to join politics. I used to go around Dharavi with my father, who was the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and saw the immense goodwill he enjoyed among the people there. We were brought up amidst the ideology of Babasaheb Ambedkar, Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule and Mahatma Jotiba Phule. My father always taught us that our fight for justice and equality must continue in their footsteps, no matter what our professions were. As ardent believers in their ideologies, it was only natural that I saw politics as a platform for rewriting social justice as envisaged by them.