Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu stressed the need to fast-track empowerment of women educationally, economically, socially and politically for the nation to make further progress on various fronts.
Addressing the 38th annual session of FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) in Delhi, he said that there was an urgent need to remove gender disparity in various spheres. “Everybody from the government to the private sector and civil society must join hands in empowering women”, he added.
Naidu also reiterated the need to provide reservations for women in Parliament and State legislatures as a means of empowering them. Women’s empowerment, he said, would have a multiplier effect not only on their own lives but also on the family and society at large. He stressed that for inclusive growth, special attention needs to be given to women, youth and rural India.
Calling for ensuring gender equality and improving the literacy rate among girls, the Vice President said that there should be a special focus on this aspect. Observing that economic empowerment is very important for the progress of women, he called for equal property rights for all children irrespective of their gender.
Urging the corporate sector and various NGOs to supplement the efforts of the government in educating girls, he said that schemes like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padao’ are implemented in every nook and corner of the country. “There should be no discrimination against girls and every girl child should be made to attend school”, the Vice President added.
Referring to the benefits of women’s education, he said they include decreased fertility rates, lower Infant Mortality Rates and Maternal Mortality Rates. “Education will empower women to become better decision-makers”, he pointed out. He also emphasised on the importance of ensuring children’s physical fitness and providing them with properly cooked traditional Indian food.
Pointing out that the participation of women in business is increasingly being recognized as fundamental to economic growth, the Vice President stressed the need to encourage more women to become entrepreneurs.
He said that only 14 per cent of the total 58.5 million entrepreneurs in India are women and called for a concerted effort from the industry, government and society to promote entrepreneurship among women. He commended the efforts of FLO in empowering women.
On this occasion, the Vice President released the 38th Annual Report of FICCI Ladies Organisation. A policy document titled – ‘Women Leading India’s Industrial Outlook’ prepared by FLO was also released along with the Annual Report.
Smt. Ujjwala Singhania, President, FLO, Smt. Uma Chigurupati, Chairperson, Hyderabad Chapter of FLO, Ms. Rashmi Sarita, Executive Director, FLO, and eminent women industry leaders attended the event.
