An eight-year-old climate change activist on Friday turned down Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offer to be part of #SheInspiresUs initiative for International Women’s Day 2020.
The 8-year-old environmental activist Licypriya Kangujam took to Twitter and said that she preferred to be heard rather than being celebrated. She further said that she declined the offer after thinking about it many times.
The 8-year-old activist tweeted, "Dear @narendramodi Ji, Please don’t celebrate me if you are not going to listen to my voice. Thank you for selecting me amongst the inspiring women of the country under your initiative #SheInspiresUs. After thinking many times, I decided to turn down this honour. Jai Hind!”
Licypriya Kangujam is a climate change activist from Manipur, who awarded a Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Children Award, a World Children Peace Prize and an India Peace Prize in 2019.
In another tweet, she said, "Government don’t listen to my voice and today they selected me as one of the inspiring woman of the country. Is it fair? I found that they selected me amongst the few inspiring women from 3.2 billion people under the initiative of Prime Minister @narendramodi ji #SheInspiresUs."
Twitter hailed Licypriya after she rejected the Modi government’s honour for International Women's Day. Twitterati came together to hail Licy's stand and bravery.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that he will give up his social media accounts to women whose life and work inspired many. The Prime Minister had tweeted saying, “This Women’s Day, I will give away my social media accounts to women whose life & work inspire us. This will help them ignite motivation in millions. Are you such a woman or do you know such inspiring women? Share such stories using.”
On March 5, the Indian government’s official Twitter handle, MyGovIndia, shortlisted few women and shared their inspiring stories with their photos. While tweeting about Licypriya, MyGovIndia had tweeted, “@LicypriyaK is an child environmental activist from Manipur. In 2019, she was awarded a Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Children Award, a World Children Peace Prize, and an India Peace Prize. Isn’t she inspiring? Do you know someone like her? Tell us, using #SheInspiresUs.”
Every year on March 8 Women's Day is celebrated. People across the globe observe the day to bring attention to women's rights issues while celebrating the achievements of women in social, economic, cultural and political spheres.
