Women's Empowerment must be Prioritized to Accelerate the Nation's Progress, says VP Naidu

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 31 March 2022

Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President, emphasised the importance of accelerating women's educational, economic, social, and political empowerment in order for the country to make further development on numerous fronts.

The Vice President said there was an urgent need to eliminate gender gap in many domains while speaking at the 38th annual session of the FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) in Delhi.  “Everybody from the government to the private sector and civil society must join hands in empowering women”, he continued.

Shri Naidu further highlighted the importance of reserving seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women as a way of empowering them. He claimed that women's empowerment will have a multiplier effect on not only their personal lives but also on their families and society as a whole. He emphasised the importance of paying special attention to women, youth, and rural India in order to achieve inclusive growth.

The Vice President stated that there should be a specific focus on achieving gender equality and raising the literacy rate among girls. He stated that economic empowerment is critical for women's advancement and urged for equal property rights for all children, regardless of gender.

He urged the private sector and other NGOs to support the government's efforts to educate females, saying that programmes like 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padao' are being implemented across the country. “There should be no discrimination against girls, the Vice President continued, “and every girl child should be made to attend school.”

He cited lowered fertility rates, lower Infant Mortality Rates, and lower Maternal Mortality Rates as benefits of women's education. He stated, “Education will empower women to become better decision-makers.”  The Vice President also emphasised the necessity of maintaining children's physical health and feeding them appropriately prepared traditional Indian food.

The Vice President emphasised the importance of encouraging more women to become entrepreneurs, noting that women's engagement in business is increasingly being recognised as critical to economic progress.

He said that only 14% of India's total 58.5 million entrepreneurs are women, and he urged for a concerted effort by industry, government, and society to encourage women to start businesses. He praised FLO for its efforts to empower women.

On this occasion, the Vice President presented the FICCI Ladies Organization's 38th Annual Report. Along with the Annual Report, FLO also produced a policy document titled “Women Leading India's Industrial Outlook.”

The event was attended by Smt. Uma Chigurupati, Chairperson, FLO Hyderabad Chapter, Smt. Ujjwala Singhania, President, FLO, Ms. Rashmi Sarita, Executive Director, FLO, and other prominent female industry leaders.