RS Deputy Chairman Harivansh Speaks for Gender Equality at the G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Meeting

By: WE Staff | Saturday, 8 October 2022

Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guiding principle, "Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas," or "Development of all with the support of all and the trust of all," saying that it expresses the spirit of social inclusion, gender equality, and women's empowerment.

On Friday in Indonesia's capital city of Jarkarta, he addressed the G20 Parliamentary Speakers' meeting on "Social Inclusion, Gender Equality, and Women's Empowerment."

Harivansh continued by stating that because this mentality is so deeply ingrained in Indian culture and social ethos, it has always been given a very high priority and is even guaranteed by the Indian Constitution as gender equality.

Harivansh noted a significant increase in the number of female-founded businesses in India, particularly in industries traditionally dominated by men, and claimed that this is evidence that the emphasis on women's empowerment has shifted from women's development to women-led development.

In order to support women's empowerment, he continued, India's funding for programmes connected to women has increased by 14%.

Dy Chairman Harivansh emphasised that India is working in mission mode to ensure women's economic empowerment through skill development, digital literacy, and financial inclusion in addition to providing their education, safety, health, nutrition, and sanitation.

Harivansh praised the role that women performed during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the healthcare industry, saying that the women did a respectable job as frontline workers, making up over 6 million or almost 70% of the healthcare workforce in India.

Speaking about several social programmes for social inclusion and gender equality launched in India, Harivansh said that 81% of loans between one million and ten million rupees have been handed to women under the stand-up India programme.

More than 225 million women, the majority of whom live in rural regions, have benefited by creating their own bank accounts under one of the greatest financial inclusion initiatives in the world, the PM Jan Dhan Yojana.

28 million expectant and nursing women had money sent directly to their bank accounts. The majority of the 20 million dwellings built under the PM Housing Scheme are in the names of women.

According to Harivansh, there are currently 114 women members in both Houses of the Indian Parliament, including 10 ministers. Additionally, the Head of State of India at the moment is a woman. He also emphasised that with over 1.45 million, or 46–50% of women, serving as elected members, local elected bodies at the municipal level in India have now evolved into the cradles of future women leaders.

Harivansh urged the MPs of the G20 nations to continue their goal to improve the lives of all men and women—rich and poor, high and low—and to work together to make a significant difference.

From October 5–7, 2022, an Indian parliamentary delegation (IPD) headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will be in Jakarta, Indonesia for the eighth G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20).