Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks on the power of women empowerment and enterprise
Today, when we speak of economic empowerment and partnership in taking decisions, wherever women have achieved economic empowerment, their partnership in decisions too has increased. In any sector, where women were given proper opportunity, they have surpassed men.
Today, women of the nation are flying fighter planes, travelling in space, winning medals for the country in the Olympics. Indian women have been proving their mettle from Panchayat to Parliament. From village wells to Silicon Valley. This proves that the picture sought to be created that Indian women are only good for domestic chores is a myth. If we consider India’s agriculture sector, dairy sector, nobody can deny that if anybody has made the largest contribution to agriculture and animal husbandry, it is women.
If one visits Adivasi areas and observes the activities of men there, we can understand what situation prevails after evening hours.We never pay attention to how women from Adivasi areas manage their houses, carry out their financial activities, the kind of skills and crafts they possess or how they run cottage industries. The skill the Adivasi women possess is their strength, but we never pay attention to it.I believe an entrepreneur is hidden somewhere deep inside every individual. All that is needed is the right opportunity and guidance.
At several places in the country, money is transferred directly to the bank accounts of women associated with the dairy business. Whenever I meet people engaged in the dairy business, I insist that it is better if there are separate bank accounts for women and they deposit the money in the bank accounts of the women who come to deliver milk instead of paying in cash. Consider this: when money is deposited in the bank account of an economically challenged village woman, who rears a cow or a buffalo, she gets empowered. Her voice is noticed in the entire household, she is listened to. Until that happens, all her labour is in vain. Such seemingly small changes give a new strength.
The IMC has the right to one more glory. And that glory is that Mahatma Gandhi himself was a member of the IMC.
People who have read about Gandhiji may have noticed that this name I am about to mention is not talked about much. Today I insist you go to Google guru and research on the name, Ganga Baa. Probably, very few people know about Ganga Baa.
‘Wherever women have achieved economic empowerment, their partnership in decisions too has increased. In any sector, where women were given proper opportunity, they have surpassed men’ - Modi
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from Africa and his public life started at Sabarmati Ashram. This happened 100 years ago. I learnt that a woman named Ganga Baa, from the same village, who was widowed at an early age, fought against social traditions and started studying again. She had become a widow at a very early age, may be at the age of 8-10 years. And Mahatma Gandhi would say Ganga Baa was extremely courageous. When Gandhiji came to know about her, Gandhiji went to meet her at Sabarmati Ashram. When Gandhiji met Ganga Baa, Ganga Baa gave him a gift. The spindle that can be seen every moment with Gandhiji had been gifted to him by Ganga Baa. She had inspired Gandhiji on the subject of women’s empowerment through that spindle. Now an award named after Ganga Baa is being given for women’s empowerment. A book has also been written on her life and work. What I want to stress is that 100 years ago, a woman had so much courage and strength that she could see eye to eye with Gandhiji and speak openly with him about women’s empowerment. Such is the strength of women of our country.
‘The life of the common man changes when these are implemented, when the systems reach out to the last person down the line, and the identity of this government is that it conceptualises schemes, prepares the road map and implements them with constant monitoring to ensure that they are comprehensive…’
Our society has not merely lakhs, but crores of such Ganga Baas. All we need to do is to give them the strength and empower them. In modern times, India can progress only by strengthening and empowering women in the country. Keeping this in mind, the government is taking progressive decisions. Where it is needed, laws are being changed. Where new rules are required, new rules are being made. Recently, the Maternity Act was amended and the duration of maternity leave was increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks directly! Even developed nations do not have such rules as of now.
States have been advised to amend the Factories Act too to provide facilities to enable women to work in night shifts. The Disability Act too has been amended to provide for women who are victims of acid attacks, the same assistance, and the same reservation that physically challenged people get.
Besides, the work of networking of an entire police station for the safety and security of women in response to calls made by hitting a mobile phone panic button has also been completed successfully. Now women can use the Universal Helpline number,181. Another important decision taken by the government is that women will have the first right to benefits where families get benefits from government schemes. For example,under the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana, priority is given to register the house in the name of the woman. We are well aware, ask any woman, even today,such is the condition in our society, that the house is in the name of the husband or son, the vehicle is also in the name of the husband or son, even the purchase of a scooter is in the name of the husband or son. Wealth can be in the name of women too with some amicability. It needs some encouragement, changing some rules, making some systems focussed on women. It is yielding results too. Even the rules for grant of passports have undergone a major and important change. Now women need not submit their marriage or divorce certificate. A woman can write her father or mother’s name on her passport, as she wishes. The government’s attempt at every step,every ladder, is to ensure that women come forward on their own for employment and self-employment.
Several of you, sitting here, are mothers and sisters. You can imagine when a mother cooks food using a chulha with firewood as fuel she inhales smoke equal to 400 cigarettes every day. What must be happening when there are children playing at home? What would be her physical condition? Understanding that pain and suffering,I launched a campaign to free these mothers and sisters from the smoke of the chulhas. Now 11 months have gone by and I have resolved that in the coming two years, five crore families who are the poorest of the 25,000 crore families in India will be freed from this smoke. This work is being done under the Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana. The scheme is one aspect, and laws and rules are the other aspect. The life of the common man changes when these are implemented, when the systems reach out to the last person down the line, and the identity of this government is that it conceptualises schemes, prepares the road map and implements them with constant monitoring to ensure that they are comprehensive…
Friends,today more than 65 per cent of the country’s population is below the age of 35 years. These people have their own dream.They want to achieve something. The government is making efforts at every level to ensure they can fulfil their dreams, use their energy in the right manner.But the whole-hearted contribution of organisations and agencies like yours is needed for that.
I would appeal, rather I would specially urge the dignitaries of IMC sitting here, that when the country celebrates 75 years of independence in 2022-five years away from today-each one of us, every individual, every family, every organisation,every social system, every village and city,can set a target for ourselves as to what we would do as individuals for the society, what we as organisations would do for the country and the society.
I appeal to you people that wherever we go, whomsoever we meet, we should discuss plans for 2022, the completion of 75 years of independence.Prior to independence, under the leadership of Gandhiji, every activity would be done keeping independence in mind. People kept themselves linked to the cause of independence. If someone launched a cleanliness campaign, it was for independence. If someone wove khadi, it was for independence.Several people became teachers and taught for independence.If someone insisted on using Swadeshi goods,that too was for independence.Not that everybody went to jail, not that everybody hanged on the gallows but everybody did something, whatever they could, for independence.Can we celebrate 75 years of independence in 2022 with our own contributions? Today my appeal to everybody is, let each one of us resolve something for 2022, and walk a few steps to do our bit for the country and the society. This is what I expect from you.
How can women entrepreneurs, who are making products on a small or large scale in various parts of the state, be taken to a larger platform where they can find markets at national and international level? How can they be made to set up their own market place? A campaign can be launched to spread awareness among them in this regard.Some target can be fixed for 2022 and 500 or 100 camps can be organised to achieve it. It can be a small experiment. I would like to suggest that catalytic agent organisations like yours, corporate houses manufacturing various products, and women’s self-help groups come together. Corporate houses should give the work of skill development to the women self-help groups, provide them raw material and get the type of products they need manufactured from them. Corporate houses should attach these products with their main products and market them. Be rest assured, it will turn into a huge ecosystem where the poorest of the poor will get employment without the government’s involvement, with minimum expenditure.We can work in this direction.
Today, India is a force, which can send hardworking and skilled workers all over the world. Will your organisation be able to develop an online platform where our youth will come to know which country in the world demands what type of skill at a given time?
The government is implementing a national entrepreneurship promotion scheme, under which the government intends to sponsor 50 lakh youths.Will your organisation launch a campaign to spread awareness about the scheme among companies so that the maximum number of youth and women can find employment opportunities? The government is also entering into agreement with private sector to provide jobs to youth getting skill development training. You should be thinking how your organisation can help to ensure that the maximum number of companies get involved in this campaign.
Will your organisation be able to contribute to strengthen state level bankers’ committees? Similarly, will representatives of your organisation be able to contribute at the training institutes of banks? Every member of the Ladies’ Wing of the IMC has a deep understanding of the nitty-gritty of business. To discuss money, business, trade is in their blood.They know well what problems are faced while starting one’s own business. They have their own experience of facing such problems and overcoming them. They can inspire and guide new people to work in this direction.
Therefore, I hope that you, through your organisation,would be able to reach out to the common man in the society who cannot mix up with you people otherwise, and give them new strength.
‘Democracy cannot become successful without partnership of every individual at every level.The government is not a contractor to whom we have given the contract of changing our future every five years. A strong partnership between the government and the public changes the future of the country, the economy of the country and works to fulfil the aspirations of the new generation of the country’
On GST: Can we organise small study camps for entrepreneurs,especially women entrepreneurs, with respect tothe GST while there is still time? I am confident that if we can explain to them how to use technology, how to make GST seamless, what is the new tax system, how it is going to help the common man, the GST, which was being demanded for the last several years and which is coming now,will become successful. Contribution from you is necessary to make GST a success.
And changing our understanding of democracy is also needed. Mostly people believe the country becomes democratic if they go once in five years, press a button and get a black spot on the finger. That is not so. Democracy is an ever-continuing process of partnership. Democracy cannot become successful without partnership of every individual at every level.The government is not a contractor to whom we have given the contract of changing our future every five years. A strong partnership between the government and the public changes the future of the country, its economy and works to fulfil the aspirations of the new generation of the country.
In this 21st century, the problems, the environment in the world has changed. Come! Let us come together and work to fulfil our aspiration of a New India. We must have our own resolve, a road map to contribute for the New India. Today,I have made some suggestions to you. Probably, you would have better options of your own. My appeal to you is to make attempt with all might to achieve your resolutions. A New India is the dream seen by 125 crore people of the country. The 125 crore Indians will have to come together to find out ways and work together to bring it into reality. With this, I conclude.
by Narendra Modi
