She said that Congress failed to provide basic necessities to women for a dignified life despite ruling the country for decades.

 

Former minister Priya added that the Nariender Modi is the leader of poor, women,and development (PWD) .

 

 Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre provided women dignity by constructing 10 crore toilets and making most part of the country as open defecation free (ODF) and 9 crore women securing LPG connections.

 

She said that between 2014 and 2022, India has witnessed women Union Cabinet ministers in the critical portfolios of External Affairs, Defence, Finance and Education. Never before has India had women, who grew up in ordinary families, helm leadership positions in the government for such a contiguous period.

 

There were some bastions which were considered as Male bastions, it is only after 2014, which means last seven years have not just seen women helm prominent leadership roles in the government but in many spheres that were otherwise considered male bastions. The role of Indian women in combat roles within the armed forces and their continued effort to push barriers in the corporate world, the recent Olympic games saw our women athletes bring in accolades in sporting disciplines that required strength, stamina and speed — an area that was earlier perceived to be a weakness.

 

Priya sethi while speaking to gathering at Jammu said that schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) helped meet the nutritional needs of pregnant women and new mothers and at the same time, helped compensate for any income loss. More than 2.5 crore women have so far enrolled and benefitted from the programme. Similarly, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) have worked to break through the numerous social barriers that women face. At the same time, these programmes have remarkably improved health and sanitation facilities.

 

Sethi further added that Since the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) in 2015, 25 crore women have been given access to financial services and instruments such as bank accounts, credit, insurance and pensions. This has opened up a new world of opportunities and financial security by bringing women into the formal financial system.

 

The unprecedented focus on women entrepreneurship through schemes such as MUDRA Yojana, Stand Up India and Start Up India has nudged women to become drivers of their own destiny. That close to 70 per cent of the MUDRA loan accounts belong to women and are a testimonial to this fact. Landmark initiatives such as increasing the paid maternity leaves to 26 weeks and the recently-implemented Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 sets the path for the presence of women in all establishments covering all types of work, She added. 

 

Priya sethi further said that Modi Govt at center design the policies and schemes with a fundamental objective of equipping women by creating opportunities, building an enabling environment and effecting a qualitative change in the mindset of society at large.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s famed slogan – “from women’s development to women led-development” — captures this very essence.

 

Priya said that in J & K too the administration led by LG Manoj Sinha have last month only gave a fillip to women entrepreneurship by declaring the industrial estate at Seen, Thakran, Udhampur, as a women industrial estate. The decision is meant to benefit women entrepreneurs and industrialists as any business enterprise having a minimum of 51% stake held by a woman entrepreneur shall qualify to apply for allotment in the reserved industrial estate.

 

 Moreover, under the new J&K Industrial Land Allotment Policy, the eligible women entrepreneurs will be allotted suitable parcels of land through a transparent single-window mechanism in a time-bound manner. 

 

The administration of J& K also approved setting up of infrastructure for women battalions at several places in the union territory

The construction work will be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore at each battalion and it will include administration blocks, residential accommodation and hostels, and office building, among others.

 

To check the rise in crime against women, the JK administration had raised two women battalions by sanctioning 2,014 posts for recruiting women officers and officials of various ranks too. (KNS)