The Government of India set up the High Level Committee on the Status of Women to review and assess the socio-economic, political and legal status of women and recommend appropriate policy interventions. The significance of the Committee is evident from the fact that it has been constituted about four decades after the First Committee (1971), which submitted its Report – Towards Equality in 1974.

The National Consultation on Women and Media will look specifically at the presence of women in media, portrayal of women in media and the regulatory mechanisms in place. There will be three plenary sessions, along with break-out sessions dealing with various issues, over the course of two days.

The panel on women and new media is moderated by Geeta Seshu. Other panelists include C. Vanaja, Shobha SV, Rohini Lakshane, Harini Calamur and Meera K.

Recommendations made by the panelists will feed into a new report on the status of women in India that the High level Committee is preparing.