8 JUNE2024IN FOCUSIN FOCUSAmazon-backed initiative in Hyderabad is enhancing women's economic empowerment and menstrual hygiene awareness. The unit, capable of manufacturing 1200 pads per hour, offers part-time employment and flexible work arrangements including bringing their children to the workplace, allowing women to balance work and domestic responsibilities.Amazon partners with NGOs like She and We to empower women entrepreneurs in manufacturing units. They provide training, support, and job creation, employing around 60 women in various roles and indirectly supporting 200 more through packaging, promotion, and sales. They aim to create a lasting positive impact by empowering women to take charge of their financial practices. Amazon's community engagement programs in India have significantly impacted women's empowerment, menstrual hygiene awareness, and sustainable sanitary product manufacturing workplaces. Amazon's Gram Mitr and Pragati Mitr programs, launched in 2021 encourage women's education on healthy menstruation practices through informative sessions in schools, rural childcare centers, anganwadis, and self-help groups.Amazon has established four sanitary napkin manufacturing units in India, with a combined production capacity of 1,200 biodegradable pads per hour in locations including, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai. These units promote accessibility and affordability along with promoting environmental consciousness through eco-friendly materials. Ruchira Kamboj, India's first woman Permanent Representative to the United Nations, retired after 35 years of service. She served as an Indian envoy in Bhutan, South Africa, and UNESCO. She navigated UN discussions during the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars over the last two years. She expressed her gratitude and posted on X, "Thank you, Bharat, for the extraordinary years and unforgettable experiences."Ruchira Kamboj, born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, is an accomplished Indian diplomat with a background in academic and military service. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Delhi University and studied at the London School of Economics. In 1987, she topped the Civil Services Examination in the women's category and began her diplomatic journey in Paris, France, serving as Third Secretary from 1989 to 1991 and Second Secretary in the Indian Embassy to France and further in Delhi's Europe West Division. Ruchira has held diplomatic positions in Paris, France, India's Ministry of External Affairs, and South Africa.India's Permanent Representative/Ambassador, Ruchira, was appointed on August 2, 2022. Fluent in Hindi, English, and French, she previously served as a Counsellor at India's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, dealing with a wide range of political concerns, such as UN Peacekeeping, UN Security Council Reform, the Middle East crisis, etc. She also worked as the Deputy Head of the Office of the Secretary-General at the Commonwealth Secretariat London, and the first female Chief of Protocol, in India. In May 2014, the Ministry of External Affairs assigned her a special assignment to direct the swearing-in ceremony of PM Narendra Modi in Delhi. AMAZON HYDERABAD ESTABLISHES SANITARY NAPKIN MANUFACTURING UNITINDIAN DIPLOMAT, RUCHIRA KAMBOJ RETIRES AFTER 35 YEARS OF SERVICE
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