India committed to ensuring an equal post-Covid world for women: Smriti Irani at UN

In this frame grab made from UNTV, the Minister for Women and Child Development of India, Smriti Irani, speaks during a pre-recorded message which was played inside the United Nations General Assembly Hall, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, at U.N. headquarters. (UNTV via AP )

India is fully committed to ensuring a more just and equal post-Covid world for women and girls, Union Minister Smriti Irani said at a high-level UN meeting on Friday.

The minister said the country took multiple steps to ensure the safety, security and well-being of women during the pandemic period, including the setting-up of “One-Stop Centres” to provide medical, psychological, legal, police and shelter facilities to women.

Efforts have also been made to take care of pregnant and lactating women through the National Nutrition Mission, which also aims at improving the nutritional status of children and adolescent girls to make India malnutrition free by 2022, Irani said on the 25th anniversary of the fourth World Conference on Women.

“India remains ready to work with all international partners to build a more just and equal post-Covid world for us and our daughters,” said the Minister for Women and Child Development. “Women numerically constitute half of humanity but their influence transfuses all dimensions of society, polity and economy. In India, we recognize the centrality of gender equality and women’s empowerment in all aspects of our developmental journey. We are now focused on inclusive growth and deep reforms that together are bringing about transformational changes.”

“India today is attaching the highest priority to ensuring gender parity in all spheres of life and elimination of all forms of gender-based discrimination. Several of our legislations, such as those pertaining to sexual harassment of women at workplace, protection of women from domestic violence, protection of children from sexual offences, and our criminal laws’ amendments, have been strong enablers of women empowerment and protection of children especially girls, over the past six years,”she said.

Irani said that the Indian government has been heralding changes under the “visionary leadership” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The country has moved from a paradigm of development for women to women-led development, she said, adding that the reservation of seats for women in local governance has ensured that more than 1.3 million elected women representatives provide leadership in formulating and implementing gender-sensitive public policies at the community level.

More than 200 million women, have been brought into the formal banking system through the Government’s Financial Inclusion Initiative and innovative use of digital technologies has provided equal opportunity for women to access insurance, loans, and social assistance, said the minister.

Irani also spoke about a multi-sectoral package of interventions and awareness campaigns that challenge gender stereotypes and realize the girl’s right to education.

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