Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Friday that the young women in the state are at high risk due to child birth without the spacing of three years, adding that some of them are even giving birth to more than five children by the age of 23.

Speaking at the national seminar on 'Representation of Women of North East India in Multi - Disciplinary Discourse' at the Don Bosco College in Tura, the Chief Minister said that the government has conceptualised a programme to empower women through different economic activities.

Through the Self Help Group (SHG) movement, the government is ensuring that the women become financially independent, he said.

Sangma said "We had to come up with a solution which is long-lasting and ensures the health and well-being of a mother. The Safe Motherhood Programme addresses the concerns of the women. We have also introduced an initiative that empowers women financially through income generating activities launched through SHGs."

Economic empowerment of women is of paramount concern for the government, he told the seminar.

He also informed that Meghalaya is one of the few states in the country where 95 per cent of the women from rural areas are part of the SHG movement.

Sangma said that there are over four lakh women under the SHG movement in the state, which was around 35,000 prior to 2018.

He also said that the government is working with a positive mindset to provide different opportunities to enable economic empowerment of women.

There are different problems confronting women, but the government is working with an approach to provide effective solutions to those problems.

"Having a positive mindset does not mean that we overlook the problems. However, we have come up with a perspective to address the concerns and improve things. It is a challenge but we have to come up with an approach to ensure real change," he said.

The seminar was attended by scholars from different parts of the country.[IANS/JS]