My Third Term Will Write New Chapter In Rise Of Women Power: PM Modi
NEW DELHI, Mar 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday cited a host of women-centric schemes of his government to assert that only a society which boosts womenโs standing and creates opportunities for them can advance.
His third term will write a new chapter in the rise of women power, Modi said at a โSashakt Nari-Viksit Bharatโ programme, exuding confidence of retaining power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In a swipe at previous governments, he said womenโs lives and hardships were not a priority for them while the BJP dispensation has come out with different initiatives to help them at every stage of life.
Modi said he is the first prime minister who spoke of a host of issues related to women, including lack of toilets, use of sanitary pads, adverse effects of smoke-causing kitchen fuels like wood and coal, and the need for bank accounts from the ramparts of the Red Fort, a reference to his Independence Day speeches.
He said political parties like the Congress made fun of him and insulted him for this.
He asserted that what he saw at his home, in his neighbourhood and villages during his travels shaped his sensibilities and schemes for women.
Over Rs 8 lakh crore has been disbursed among women under various government schemes, Modi said.
Over 1 crore women have become โLakhpati Didisโ so far, he said.
The prime minister said that his experience has been that a little help to women can make them a help to others.
Those politicians who are only concerned about their families can never understand this, he said.
At the โSashakt Nari-Viksit Bharatโ programme, Modi disbursed around Rs 8,000 crore as bank loans to self-help groups (SHGs).
He interacted with women beneficiaries from different parts of the country, enquired about various aspects of their work and lauded their hard work and determination.
Modi also felicitated โLakhpati Didisโ, who have achieved success with the support of the โDeendayal Antyodaya Yojana โ National Rural Livelihoods Missionโ and are supporting the upliftment of other self-help group members.
During the event, he handed over drones to 1,000 โNamo Drone Didisโ, women chosen to operate drones for agriculture and related purposes.
He also disbursed about Rs 2,000 crore Capitalisation Support Fund to SHGs. The โNamo Drone Didiโ and โLakhpati Didiโ initiatives are integral to the prime ministerโs vision of fostering economic empowerment and financial autonomy among women, especially in rural areas, the Prime Ministerโs Office had said earlier in a statement. (Agencies)
