‘Women prosper, world prospers’: PM Modi underlines women-centric growth

The economic empowerment of women fuels growth and the most effective way to empower them is through a “women-led development approach”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, adding that when women prosper, the world prospers. Addressing the ‘Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment’ organised at the Mahatma Mandir in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar as part of India’s G20 Presidency via video message, the PM said that women’s leadership fosters inclusivity and their voices inspire positive change. PM Modi underlined that the most effective way to empower women is through a women-led development approach and India is making huge strides in this direction. Underlining the need to find urgent and sustainable solutions for issues like climate change and global warming, he said that one can witness first-hand the simplicity of Gandhiji’s lifestyle and his visionary ideas of sustainability, self-reliance and equality at Gandhi Ashram. PM Modi also mentioned President Droupadi Murmu, saying that she leads the world’s largest democracy and serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the world’s second-largest defence force even though she comes from a humble tribal background. The Prime Minister highlighted the significant role played by elected women representatives as catalysts for economic, environmental, and social transformation. He said that women constitute 46 per cent of the elected representatives in India’s rural local bodies, totalling an impressive 1.4 million in number. The PM also underlined the mobilization of women into self-help groups has also been a powerful force for change, highlighting the self-help groups and elected women representatives emerging as pillars of support for our communities during the pandemic. “More than 80% of nurses and midwives in India are women. They were our first line of defence during the pandemic. And, we are proud of their achievements”, he added. PM Modi also said that around 70 per cent of the loans up to one million rupees to support micro-level units under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana have been sanctioned to women. Similarly, 80 per cent of beneficiaries under stand-up India are women, availing bank loans for green field projects. Noting that clean cooking fuel directly impacts the environment and improves the health of women, the Prime Minister highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and informed that nearly 100 million cooking gas connections have been provided to rural women.