Coimbatore : There is a sound and robust co-relation between women’s empowerment and the country’s economic development, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor, Dr N Kumar said on Monday.

However, despite several attempts being made to empower women whose strength is nearly half and contributing for the two thirds of the work hours, their income continues to be one-tenth of the global income and their role is under-estimated, Kumar said.

In his address to the 30th Convocation of Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women here, Kumar said that domestic work performed by women was often accounted as non-economic activity and there was an urgent need for women to engage themselves in the economical development of the country.

Several studies have unequivocally demonstrated that women played a key role in sustainable development of the country and in tune with this the Government of India had proposed 33 per cent reservation for women in both Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, he said.

Chancellor Dr P R Krishnakumar said that India has become the cynosure of the world and the country is likely to have the world’s largest workforce by 2027.

A total of 1,998 degrees, including 1,587 under-graduate, were conferred at the convocation.