Namaskar!

It is a matter of great delight for all of us that the nation has viewed this year's budget as a beginning to fulfil the goal of building a developed India by 2047. The budget has been seen and tested from the point of view of future 'Amritkaal'. It is a good sign for the country that the citizens of the country are also looking at the next 25 years through the prism of these goals.

Friends,

In the last 9 years, the country has moved ahead with the vision of Women-led development. Looking at the experience of its past years, India has also tried to carry forward the efforts of 'Women Development to Women-led Development' on the global arena. This time, this topic also figured prominently in the G20 meetings being chaired by India. This year's budget will also give a new impetus to these efforts of Women-led development, and all of you are going to play a crucial role in it. I welcome all of you to this budget webinar.

Friends,

The power of conviction in women; their will power, their imaginative power, their decision-making power, their ability to take quick decisions, their perseverance to achieve their goals, the results of their hard work, is the identity and reflection of women power. When we say Women-led development, its foundation is these very powers. In ensuring the bright future for Maa Bharti (India), this power of women is the priceless power of India. This power group is playing a massive role in increasing the scale and speed of India in this century.

Friends,

Today we are witnessing a great revolutionary change in the social life of India. The results of the ways with which India has worked for women empowerment in the last few years are visible today. Today we are witnessing the same in India; the number of women is increasing as compared to men. The number of girls studying in high school or beyond has tripled in the last 9-10 years. Enrolment of girls in science & technology, engineering and maths in India has reached 43% today, and it is the highest among all rich developed countries, be it America, UK or Germany. Similarly, be it medical field or sports field, business or political activity, women's participation in India has not only increased, but they are leading from the front in every field. Today, there are many areas in India in which the potential of women power is visible. Out of the crores of people who were given Mudra loans, about 70 percent of the beneficiaries are women of the country. These crores of women are not only increasing the income of their families, but are also opening new dimensions of the economy. Through the PM Svanidhi Yojana, various incentives like financial assistance without guarantee, promotion of animal husbandry, promotion of fisheries, promotion of village industries, FPO's, sports are being given. Its maximum benefits are being reaped and the best results are coming from women. This year's budget is a reflection of how we can take the country forward with the help of half of the country's population and how we can increase the power of women. Under the Mahila Samman Saving Certificate Scheme, women will be given 7.5% interest rate. About Rs 80 thousand crore have been allocated for PM Awas Yojana in this budget. This amount will be used to build houses for lakhs of women in the country. In the past years in India, most of the 3 crore+ houses built under the PM Awas Yojana, are in the names of women. You can imagine that there was also a time when women never had fields, barns, shops or houses in their names. Today, they have got such a huge support from this system. PM Awas has given women a new voice in the economic decisions of the household.

Friends,

Now we hear of 'unicorns' in the field of startups but is it possible to create unicorns in self help groups too? This budget has been brought with a supporting announcement to fulfil that dream. You can see the scope of this vision of the country from the growth story of the past years. Today, one out of five non-farm businesses in the country is being handled by a woman. In the last 9 years, more than seven crore women have joined Self Help Groups, and they are working in different fields. Just see how much value these crores of women are creating! And you can also estimate it from their capital requirement. In 9 years, these Self-help groups have taken a loan of Rs 6.25 lakh crore. These women are not only small entrepreneurs, but they are also working as resource persons on the ground. In the form of Bank sakhi, Krishi sakhi, Pashu sakhi, these women are creating new dimensions of development in the village.

Friends,

Women have always played a crucial role in the cooperative sector. Today a radical change is taking place in the cooperative sector. More than 2 lakh multi-purpose cooperatives, dairy cooperatives and fisheries cooperatives are going to be formed in the coming years. A target has been set to connect 1 crore farmers with organic farming. Women farmers and producer groups can play a vital role in it. At present, not only in the country, but in the whole world, awareness is growing about Millets i.e. Sri Anna. Their demand is increasing. This is a big opportunity for India. You will have to work to further increase the role of women self-help groups in this. You have to remember one more thing. 1 crore tribal women work in Self-Help Groups in our country. They have traditional experience of 'Sri Anna' grown in tribal areas. We have to tap the opportunities related to marketing of 'Sri Anna' as well as processed foods made from it. In many places, government organizations are helping in processing the Minor Forest Produce and bringing it to the market. Today, several of such Self-Help Groups have been formed in remote areas, and we should take it to a wider level.

Friends,

The skill development of the youth and daughters will play a vital role in all these efforts. Vishwakarma Yojana will act as a strong bridge in the same. We have to recognize the special opportunities for women in Vishwakarma Yojana and take them forward. GEM portal and e-commerce are also becoming a major medium to expand the business of women. Today every sector is taking advantage of new technologies. We should emphasize the use of new technologies in the training given to Self-Help Groups.

Friends,

Today the country is moving ahead with the spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas'. When our daughters are seen protecting the country by joining the army, flying Rafale, then the perspective with respect to them also changes; when women become entrepreneurs, take decisions, take risks, then the perspective with respect to them changes. Just a few days back, for the first time in Nagaland, two women have become MLAs. One of them has also been made a Minister. India can move fast only by increasing the respect towards women and by raising the spirit of equality. I would appeal to all of you. All of you must move ahead with the determination to remove every obstacle before women, sisters and daughters.

Friends,

On March 8, we celebrate International Women's Day. President Draupadi Murmu ji has written a very passionate article on women empowerment. Everyone should understand the spirit with which President Murmu ji has ended this article. I am quoting her from this article. She has said - "It is the responsibility of all of us, rather, each individual, to accelerate this progress." So today I would like to urge each and every one of you to dedicate yourself to make a difference in your family, neighbourhood or workplace. Any change that will put a smile on a daughter’s face, any change that will increase her chances of getting ahead in life. This request of mine to you has come out from the depths of my heart. I end my speech with these words of the President. I wish you all the very best. Thank you very much!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

***

DS/LP/IG/AK