Kakinada, Feb 9th: To provide opportunities to women scientists and technologists for pursuing research in the frontier areas of science and engineering and also to encourage women scientists who have had breaks in their careers, the department of science and technology under the ministry of science and technology, Government of India, launched the Women Scientists Scheme-A (WOS-A), a fellowship program in 2003. Since the introduction of the scheme,the department received thousands of proposals and supported hundreds of projects in different disciplines including life sciences, chemical sciences, physics and mathematics, engineering sciences, earth and atmospheric sciences.

To bring about awareness on WOS-A among women scientists from all states in the country, the department has started organizing sensitization workshops. As part of this, it is sponsoring a workshop at the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Kakinada here. The JNTU-K's Center for Empowerment of Women and Grievances is hosting the two-day program on university premises from Tuesday. Hundreds of women PG and Ph.D holders from affiliated colleges of the JNTU-K participated in the workshop.

Addressing the gathering, office-in-charge of WOS-A, Dr. Hari B. Singh said many awardees were well settled in the field of science and engineering by making use of scheme which would provide a research grant with an upper limit of Rs 17 lakh. Vice-chancellor of JNTU-K, Prof. Allam Appa Rao said that if a woman was educated, society could be educated.