NEW DELHI, Aug 23:
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday expressed deep concern over social and gender discrimination against women, saying that there needs to be a campaign on a war-footing against challenges like illiteracy and poverty coming in the way of the rise of New India.
In an article written on the social networking website Facebook, the Vice President noted that even after seven decades of Independence, the country was struggling with anomalies like social and gender discrimination.
“We must campaign on a war-footing with a common co-ordinated resolve against every social challenge like illiteracy, poverty coming in the path of new India. Every citizen of the country, especially the youth, must contribute to this yajna of a prosperous, prosperous and prosperous India in which there is no discrimination or discrepancy of any kind.”
Referring to the reports of ‘Indian Parliament Population and Development Organisation’, ‘Birth Sex Ratio Status in India’ and ‘Older Population Status and Support System’, he said that adverse sex ratio studied from 2001 to 2017, indicated that the social deformity, which if allowed to continue, would have serious consequences on the stability of society itself.
Stating that it was important to remember that respecting women in society was important, he questioned “How can we forget this verse which states that ‘where the woman is respected, the divinity of the Gods is manifest, and where there is no honour of women, no matter how many sattras are there, they do not succeed.’
He referred to women deities like Maitraiyi, Gargi, Ghosha, Viswatara in the Vedic era, saying that respecting women, giving them equal opportunities to enhance their talent, respecting their knowledge and contribution has been an Indian way of life.
He said history was replete with examples of the talent of women – Prabhavati, the daughter of Chandragupta II, who skillfully assumed the kingdom, Delhi’s only woman Sultan Razia Sultana, Kittur Chennamma, Rani of Jhansi, Gond Rani Durgavati and countless many famous women who had broken the stereotypes of society and earned fame for the country from science to the playground.
Mr Naidu said, “Women constitute about 50 per cent of our population. We cannot progress without giving them equal opportunities in various fields of national life, including politics. We have to show our collective social determination against gender discrimination in our work, implement it in our lives and that should be our goal as well. I urge all political parties to quickly agree on a proposal that has been pending for many years, to give adequate reservation to women in Parliament and state legislative bodies.”
Stating that economic empowerment of women was equally important, he said equal rights for women in property would make them financially independent. He urged public representatives to spread awareness among citizens about this unequal sex ratio and its ill effects on society.
Every citizen would have to participate in the campaign against dowry malpractices, the priority thinking for the son has to end. The need of the hour was that girls and women should be given their rightful place in the society and no stone left unturned to make them self-reliant to ensure their empowerment.
The Vice President referred to Mahatma Gandhi’s statement in which he said, “I see no reason to rejoice at the birth of a son and be sad at the birth of a daughter, both of whom are God’s grace and offerings” as both had equal right to life, both were necessary for this world. The concern expressed by the Father of the Nation decades ago was “equally relevant today”, he noted. (PTI)
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