PM Modi Praises Sudha Murty's First Speech In Rajya Sabha On Women's Health

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today praised new Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty for her maiden speech in the House. Speaking during a discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's Address in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Ms Murty spoke about women's health.

Quoting her father, she said when a mother dies it is counted as one death in the hospital but for the family, a mother is lost forever.

"I want to thank Sudha Murty for speaking in detail about women's health," PM Modi said as the philanthropist-author stood up and greeted him.

While referring to Ms Murty's "emotional" remark on mothers, he said his government has focused on women's health and sanitation as a "priority sector" in the last 10 years.

"Our country's women have benefited from the toilets we have made," PM Modi said while replying to a debate on a motion thanking President Droupadi Murmu for her address to the joint sitting of Parliament last week.

He also said they have provided sanitary pads and initiated a vaccination program during pregnancy for women.

Sudha Murty's Maiden Speech In Rajya Sabha

Sudha Murty pressed for a government-sponsored vaccination programme to combat cervical cancer.

"There is a vaccination which is given to girls, between the age of nine to 14, known as a cervical vaccination. If the girls take that, it (cancer) can be avoided ... we should promote vaccination for the benefit of our girls because prevention is better than cure," she said in her first speech in Rajya Sabha.

ALSO READ | Over 3.4 Lakh Cervical Cancer Cases In India In 2023

The government has handled a very "big vaccination drive during Covid" so it may not be very difficult to provide cervical vaccination to girls in the age group of 9-14 years, she said.

Ms Murty, who was nominated by President Droupadi Murmu to the upper house on the eve of International Women's Day, said the cervical vaccination has been developed in the West and has been used for the last 20 years.

"It worked very well. It is not expensive. Today it is Rs 1,400 for people like me who are in the field. If the government intervenes and negotiates...you can bring it to Rs 700-800. We have such a large population. It will be beneficial for our girls in the future," she said during her 13-minute address.