PM Modi doubles down on women empowerment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reiterated his government’s commitment to women’s empowerment while extending wishes on International Women’s Day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi seen addressing a gathering. (Photo | ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi seen addressing a gathering. (Photo | ANI)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reiterated his government’s commitment to women’s empowerment while extending wishes on International Women’s Day. “On International Women’s Day, a tribute to the achievements of our Nari Shakti. We greatly cherish the role of women in India’s progress,” Modi said in a tweet.  “Our government will keep working to further women empowerment,” he said, using the hashtag ‘Nari Shakti for New India’.

In a video message, Modi stated, “it is women who decide the direction of the country.” It also carried snippets of speeches Modi had done in the past lauding women’s contributions to the country.
From agro-farm to the sports field, from the Sarpanach to the Sansad, from school to army, our women are moving forward shoulder to shoulder, Modi is heard saying.

The prime minister also shared another video - a compilation of women achievers whose life journeys were chronicled in ‘Mann Ki Baat’. Appreciating the PM’s message, woman educationist Dr Archana Kumari said, “India needs total empowerment of women. The women’s participation in every sphere of life, from politics to policy-making, must be ensured to make the country self-reliant.”

Recently, the PM said that the government had taken numerous vital steps towards women’s safety and self-reliance, creating a safe environment for women to demonstrate their abilities. “New India’s thinking is not limited to women’s development; rather, it has embarked on a development journey under the leadership of women,” Modi said, adding that the budget has been put together with an aim to provide opportunities to honour women. Meanwhile, official sources said the participation of women in politics has improved since 2009.

According to official data, there are 102 women MPs in the parliament - 78 women MPs in the outgoing 17th Lok Sabha and 24 in the Rajya Sabha. “Seventy-eight MPs among 542 in the Lok Sabha and 24 women among 224 in the Rajya Sabha is not an encouraging ratio. The PM and political parties should ensure a sharp rise in the ratio of women representation in the parliament,” said P K D Nambiar, a noted author and political analyst.

But data informs us that the number of women MPs in the parliament has significantly improved since 2009. In 2009, there were 52 women MPs in the Lok Sabha. This improved to 64 in 2014 and 87 in 2019.
But despite this trend, India still ranks 20th from the bottom in terms of the representation of women in parliament.

“India is gradually moving forward to ensure larger participation and empowerment of women in every sphere of life. India had the first woman president in 2009 (Pratibha Singh Patil) and now has Droupadi Murmu, the first tribal woman as president,” said Dr R K Verma, a political researcher.

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