Clinton applauds Indian women's networking

Appreciating the power of networking by Indian women at the grassroots, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday said Gujarat-based Self Employed Women Association (SEWA) was a model for the world.

Appreciating the power of networking by Indian women at the grassroots, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday said Gujarat-based Self Employed Women Association (SEWA) was a model for the world.

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Clinton, who visited the trade outlet of over three-decade old SEWA founded by Ela Bhatt, said it was a lesson to be learnt by everyone that even grassroots skilled women could successfully link themselves within India and also with women in neighbouring countries.

"This is clear from the garland (made of threads) I was presented today by Bhatt which has three kinds of threads - from Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh," she told the media in Mumbai.

"This was a real network through threads," she said.

The democratic process adopted by SEWA and the economic and social empowerment of women across the borders is a lesson to be taken advantage of by other countries, she said adding shareholders of SEWA have demonstrated how even the underprivileged and marginalised women can make global networking a reality.

This really saves lot of time in travelling and environment too, she said.