Women's security our govt's priority: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that in the last 10 years, his government has given top priority to women's security, and amended laws to introduce capital punishment for heinous crimes like rape. Addressing a huge gathering at Vansi Borsi village in Navsari district on International Women's Day, Modi said that India was walking on the path of women-led development. "When a girl returns home late, her parents ask questions, but they don't do the same when a boy comes late...they should do it. In the past decade, we have given women's safety and security the highest priority and to stop crimes against women, we have changed rules and laws," he said. Our government gives highest importance to 'samman' (honour) and 'suvidha' (facilities) for women, he said.
The prime minister stressed the need to empower women from rural parts. "(Mahatma) Gandhiji used to say that the country's soul lies in its villages. I would like to add that women are the soul of our rural areas and the soul of rural India resides in the empowerment of rural women," Modi said. "Our government works for women, we built thousands of toilets and gave dignity to women. Our government brought in stringent laws against triple talaq and saved the lives of lakhs of Muslim women from being destroyed," Modi said.
“Working women previously received only 12 weeks of maternity leave. Our government increased this to 26 weeks. For years, our Muslim sisters demanded the abolition of triple talaq. By enacting a law against it, our government saved the lives of lakhs of Muslim women from distress. When Article 370 was in place in Kashmir, women and daughters there were deprived of several rights. If they married someone from outside the state, they lost their right to ancestral property. After the abrogation of Article 370, women in Jammu and Kashmir now enjoy all their rights,” PM Modi said. 
Brands like Amul and Lijjat Papad examples of successful businesses led by women: PM Modi at 'Lakhpati Didi Sammelan' in Gujarat, said. At the outset of his speech, the PM said he was the world's richest person as he had the blessings of crores of mothers and sisters. PM Modi also noted the increasing presence of women in the judiciary. “In district courts, women now constitute over 35 percent of the workforce. In several states, more than 50 percent of newly appointed civil judges are women. Today, India is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, with women investors playing a crucial role in nearly half of these startups,” he said. “India is reaching new heights in space science, with many major missions being led by women scientists. We take pride in the fact that India has the highest number of women pilots in the world,” PM Modi said.  

(State Correspondent)