Women Education and Self-Reliance Only Solution for Viksit Bharat, LS Speaker Om Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Sunday stated that it is only possible for India to become a developed country through women education and self-reliance.

Inaugurating the first National Conference of the Parliament and State/UT Legislatures' Committees on Empowerment of Women here, he reasserted that women-led growth on the basis of women empowerment and child well-being is the cornerstone of India's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

The two-day workshop on the subject 'Women-led Development for Viksit Bharat' with a special focus on 'Gender Responsive Budgeting' and 'Empowering Women to Meet Challenges of Emerging Technologies' is being hosted by over 20 states' representatives.

The deliberations will be to strengthen women's leadership, voice in governance, presence on the board, and accelerating the vision of an India where women are not only beneficiaries but lead designers of national advancement.

The Speaker emphasized that Tirupati Conference sends a very clear and strong message that empowerment of women and child welfare are not add-on issues but the very pillars of national development. Drawing attention to women's leadership at Panchayat to Parliament levels, on inclusive laws and policies, and on economic emancipation for all women, the conference takes a bold step forward to realize the vision of Viksit Bharat in 2047, he asserted.

Om Birla also stressed further that empowerment of women is not a trial but a process occurring through and through with inclusive policies for all the needs of women throughout the stages of life. He stressed the importance of enacting the involvement of women from the Panchayat level to Parliament, since empowerment of the position of women at policy-making and law-making bodies would help address the problems and challenges faced by women over centuries.

As India enters the Amrit Kaal, Nari Shakti too is becoming an unbeatable force which is leading the nation towards empowerment and inclusivity, he further stated.

The status, voice, and role of women in every sphere of national life are not only questions of justice but the very cornerstone of inclusive and sustainable development, he stated. As India is making rapid and consistent progress in education, science, administration, technology, industry, and innovation, the status and secure future of women would determine the pace and character of national development, he stated further.

He added that Indian women have done wonderfully well in every field of life—starting from space exploration to science and technology, from sports to writing, and from grass-root politics to national leadership. Indian women have been made Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, Governors, Speakers, and lawmakers, and this is a matter of great pride and an indication of the country's faith in women's leadership, Om Birla said.

Describes this change, the Speaker has called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam a constitutional amendment of historical significance that gave institutional shape to this revolution. He recalled with pride that it was the first Bill to be cleared in the new Parliament building, ensuring reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. This landmark legislation is not just symbolism, enfranchising women with a seat in government and bringing in a new generation of women politicians to lead the nation into the future.

He also spoke of the fact that Committees on Empowerment of Women at state and national levels work in a non-party setup and have also the extremely crucial job of scrutinizing deeply the laws, policies, and schemes so they are effective and all-encompassing. The recommendations, he stressed, should be such that the poorest child and the poorest woman in the remotest corners of the country have access to health, education, technology, and development.

The inaugural session was graced by Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh; Chairperson, Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women, D. Purandeswari; Speaker, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, C. Ayyannapatrudu; and Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, Koyye Moshenu Raju; Government of Andhra Pradesh Ministers, Members of Legislative Assembly and Council and Chairs and Members of Committees on Empowerment of Women of Parliament and State/UT Legislatures.