"Beti padao, beti bachao is my government's agenda," PM Narendra Modi has said.
New Delhi:
There can be many ways of empowering women, but the key part is educating the girl child, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Monday. (Read: PM Modi Likens India-US to Husband-Wife Relationship)
In response to a question on gender equality, the Prime Minister said there are many countries in the world where women have had to fight for the right to vote. But in India, there is 30% reservation for women in elected bodies.
"India and other countries in Asia have had women as Prime Ministers. My foreign minister is a woman - Sushma Swaraj. My foreign secretary is a woman - Sujatha Singh. Women form 25% of my cabinet," he said.(Read: Terrorism Is Exported To Us, It Is Not Home Grown, Says PM Modi In New York)
The 16th Lok Sabha has the highest number of woman MPs - 61 - and women form around 11% of the total strength of Parliament. But the Woman's Reservation Bill, which seeks to have 33% reservation for women in elected bodies, is still pending.
But the "most important factor for women's empowerment is the education of the girl child," the Prime Minister said. "So 'beti bachao, beti padao' (save the girl child, educate her) is my government's agenda."
The new government has allocated Rs 100 crore for the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" scheme for the girl child in the budget.(Read: No Outside Arbitration to Resolve India-China Border Row, Says PM Modi)
Women's empowerment has been one of the key objectives of the Modi government. So along with women's education, the government also allocated Rs 150 crore for the safety of women in cities and Rs 50 crore for their safety on public transport in the budget.
In response to a question on gender equality, the Prime Minister said there are many countries in the world where women have had to fight for the right to vote. But in India, there is 30% reservation for women in elected bodies.
"India and other countries in Asia have had women as Prime Ministers. My foreign minister is a woman - Sushma Swaraj. My foreign secretary is a woman - Sujatha Singh. Women form 25% of my cabinet," he said.(Read: Terrorism Is Exported To Us, It Is Not Home Grown, Says PM Modi In New York)
The 16th Lok Sabha has the highest number of woman MPs - 61 - and women form around 11% of the total strength of Parliament. But the Woman's Reservation Bill, which seeks to have 33% reservation for women in elected bodies, is still pending.
But the "most important factor for women's empowerment is the education of the girl child," the Prime Minister said. "So 'beti bachao, beti padao' (save the girl child, educate her) is my government's agenda."
The new government has allocated Rs 100 crore for the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" scheme for the girl child in the budget.(Read: No Outside Arbitration to Resolve India-China Border Row, Says PM Modi)
Women's empowerment has been one of the key objectives of the Modi government. So along with women's education, the government also allocated Rs 150 crore for the safety of women in cities and Rs 50 crore for their safety on public transport in the budget.
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