The issue of safety and security of women was of the highest priority, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday and asked all chief ministers in the country to pay special attention to this critical area.
Addressing a meeting of the National Development Council, the prime minister said "no meaningful development" could take place without the active participation of half the population. And this participation, he said, cannot take place if their safety was not ensured.
Referring to the 23-year-old gang-rape victim in the national capital, he said the culprits had been apprehended. The prime minister told the gathering, comprising chief ministers and senior ministers, that the government had decided to review the laws in cases of aggravated sexual assault.
The 57th National Development Council meeting is being held at Vigyan Bhavan.