In the historic journey of India as a nation, freedom was a sham for womankind until recently. It is now, after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, that they are experiencing comprehensive, fundamental and unpretentious sovereignty for the first time. What can liberty be for a woman if she is uneducated, socially suppressed, economically dependent and exploited unabashedly by all and sundry? ‘Bharatiya’ culture and heritage have treated women as goddesses, but the reality is far from its mythological concept.
Equality in law and equal freedom for women was enshrined in the Constitution, but it remained more in theory and less in practice. De jure equality was converted into de facto equality for women only after Narendra Modi became the PM. One after another, schemes and policies were started to ensure real equality and freedom for women in India.
Imbalance in gender development is a stark reality and India has an unfortunate multitude of women who have not gotten their due for decades and been mired in poverty and deprivation. Real equality has eluded the majority of women even decades after India got its Independence. The governments at the Centre and in the States have launched scheme after scheme but their implementation has not yielded the expected outcomes. Resultantly, the pitiable state of women, especially rural women, has remained almost the same for the best part of India’s post-Independence era.
All governments have to look after the development and welfare of their country’s citizens without any bias or prejudice but, unfortunately, most governments have come and gone while promising the moon and stars to women. India has the maximum number of laws to make women secure and empowered but the reality is that she is neither secure nor empowered. It is a classic example of having good schemes but bad implementation. There is a saying which goes, ‘God’s mill grinds slow but sure’. And for the common Indian woman, “achhe din” has begun after Modi became the PM.
He is a political figure who has come to the fore with the missionary zeal of performing and delivering good results. For the first time, our country has seen that if there is real political will, schemes for women can be implemented successfully. Possibilities have turned into reality because of the strong political willpower of our Prime Minister. The policy initiatives of the PM have left no one in doubt that the process to uplift women at a snail’s pace and without any timelines can be and has to be discarded. Gender-dedicated welfare policies and even gender-neutral development schemes have been made time-bound so that they make a difference in the lives of the ‘have-nots’, especially women from poor and rural backgrounds.
PM Modiunderstands women as an institution. The woman is the fulcrum of the support system of a family. The PM has abiding confidence in the power of Indian women, which is the power to bring a change in the destiny of our nation. He has expressed on several occasions that our future is intertwined with the vertical progress of women. This is why he is conscious of the fact that to consider women as just a part of the population dependent on men was a consistent error on the part of policymakers.
It was a Herculean task for PM Modito challenge the patriarchal mindset which has always been a hurdle in giving women their due. The maternal mortality rate and sex ratio of India have consistently tarnished the image of the nation on the world forum. It is perplexing to contemplate as to what prevented the earlier governments, who held the reins of the country for so long, from ameliorating the suffering of women in India. But be it the strengthening of laws for safety and security, for economic independence and self-reliance, nutritional and health concerns, or securing the future of the girl child, the programmes of PM Modi speak for themselves. These schemes are implemented in letter and spirit. A praiseworthy aspect is that all the schemes highlight the motto of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’. The ‘chalta hai’ attitude of the previous governments has been replaced by one of ‘chalna padhega’, which enforces strict direction for the accountability of officials responsible for the implementation of projects.
With the advent of flagship programmes like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, the Jan Dhan Yojana, Mudra Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, National Nutrition Mission, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritiva Abhiyan, Swachh Vidyalaya, Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Rashtriya Gramin Ajivika Mission, Swachh Bharat and many others, the PM has delivered results which have been acknowledged by people at home and on the international level. Reports by UN agencies and other international institutions like the International Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Amnesty International, World Bank and IMF have appreciated the focused efforts of the Modi government towards women empowerment.
For the first time now, a poor woman can buy the Suvidha biodegradable sanitary napkins for just Re 1 from Jan Aushadhi stores, which not only promotes menstrual hygiene but boosts her self esteem too. For the first time, the working mother of a newborn has the right to avail 26 weeks of maternity leave, which is the third-highest in the world. For the first time, passport rules have changed for single women; the name of her father or husband is no longer mandatory. For the first time, Muslim women have gotten freedom from the three dreaded words—talaq, talaq, talaq. For some, all this may be routine, but for many, these have been life-changing steps. It is beyond the imagination of many to understand the happiness of a deprived woman who gets a toilet built by the government, gets an LPG connection and cylinder for the first time so she no longer has to choke her lungs with smoke, when banks don’t refuse her request to open an account with zero balance and when she gets the money through DBT without any ‘commission baazi’.
The Prime Minister’s iron will to empower Indian women reflects in the 17th Lok Sabha as well, which has the maximum number of women Members of Parliament since Independence. In terms of political parties, the BJP has the maximum number of winning women MPs. The appointment of the first full-time woman Defence Minister and then Finance Minister, preceded by External Affairs Minister and HRD Minister, speaks volumes about the confidence the PM has in the ability of the women of India.
The permanent commission for women officers of the Armed Forces selected through the SSC has brought a semblance of the enforcement of the right to equality too. Young girls now have an opportunity to become fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force and Navy warships will have women officers as part of their crew. These are landmark steps in the history of the nation’s defence, which were taken by PM Modi.
The 74th Independence Day speech by Prime Minister Modi was also dedicated to women. He highlighted the importance of making India ‘aatmanirbhar’, stating the pivotal role of women in this process. In India’s march to self-reliance, women have been and will be a potent factor. The Prime Minister has reiterated time and again that it is the women of India who are required to be empowered to ensure that the whole family and community do not remain as deprived as before. If there is one leader who has recognised women for what they are and who they are, it is PM Modi. The hallmark of the Modi era is bringing women to the fore not just as a gender, but as an institution.
The author is a spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party. The views expressed are personal.