Hillary Clinton on 2-day Gujarat visit, to pay tribute to Ela Bhatt

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat from Sunday. She will participate in the programs of the Self-Empowered Women’s Association (SEWA) founded by social worker and Gandhian Ela Bhatt. Clinton will pay tribute to Bhatt, who died aged 89 last November. She will also interact with SEWA members at its Ahmedabad office on Sunday.

The former US secretary of state is visiting to mark SEWA's 50th anniversary as a trade union for women workers in the informal sector, SEWA said in a statement. She said Hillary Clinton was a "great source of inspiration" for SEWA members and her visit at this time will motivate the younger generation to advance the movement for the next 50 years.

“Hillary Clinton will visit the SEWA reception center in Ahmedabad on Sunday and interact with its members. She will also give a speech at the Admissions Center. Before that, they will unveil a plaque near the banyan tree planted by Ela Bhatt at Victoria Garden to celebrate SEWA's 50th anniversary in 2022,” said its program coordinator Rashmi Bedi.

On Monday, Clinton will visit Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar district to meet salt pan workers under SEWA's rural initiative, Bedi said. Clinton and Bhatt had known each other since 1995. In a 2018 social media post, Clinton described the work of the renowned women's rights activist as a "revolutionary experiment."

In her post, Clinton said, “In 1972, she (Bhatt) founded an organization that provided small loans to women who could help them find fulfillment in their work and contribute to the well-being of their families. It was called the Self Employed Women's Association or SEWA.