'Nari shakti' is the strongest pillar of Viksit Bharat: PM Modi in Varanasi

Addressing the Mahila Sammelan here, PM Modi said the government is committed to ensuring women's participation in the country's policy-making.

"The mission to make India developed continues unabated. And when I speak of a developed India, its strongest pillar is India's 'Nari shakti' (women power)," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister said the BJP governments have focused on the safety of women.

"You have seen the situation change before your eyes here in Uttar Pradesh. Until a few years ago, when the Samajwadi Party was in power here, it was difficult for daughters to even step out of their homes. But now, under the BJP government, anyone harbouring negative thoughts against daughters knows exactly what the consequences will be. Bhartiya Nyan Sanhita has also given sisters and daughters a new confidence in their safety," he said.

"Under this initiative, decisions in serious crimes against women are being made more quickly. Similarly, the network of women's police stations and counselling centres is also continuously expanding. Work has begun today on a new women's police station and counselling centre building here. Such steps guarantee the safety of daughters," he added.

He referred to the development projects of around Rs 6350 crore unveiled during the Mahila Sammelan.

"Today's occasion is certainly a celebration of Nari Shakti Vandan and Vikas. Just a short while ago, the foundation stone was laid, and projects worth thousands of crores of rupees were inaugurated here. This includes projects related to all types of development in Kashi. There are also works to enhance the connectivity between Kashi and Ayodhya," he said. A short while ago, two Amrit Bharat trains were flagged off. Kashi to Pune and Ayodhya to Mumbai. These two Amrit Bharat trains will further improve the connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Now, people from Mumbai, Pune, and the entire Maharashtra have another modern option to reach Ayodhya Dham and Kashi Vishwanath Dham," he added.

The Prime Minister said he had come to the programme to seek blessings from sisters and daughters for the beginning of a Maha Yagya.

"As the MP of Kashi, as the Prime Minister of the country, I need your blessings to achieve a major goal for the welfare of the country. And this major goal is to implement reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. Just a few days ago, due to parties like the Samajwadi Party and Congress, our efforts in Parliament were not successful. But I reassure all of you sisters. I will leave no stone unturned to ensure that your reservation rights are implemented," he said.

PM Modi said the idea of women's participation was a major reason behind the construction of country's new Parliament.

"When the new Parliament was built, our first action was to provide 33% reservation to women. For 40 years, this right of such women had been blocked. That's why we got the Nari Shakti Vandan Act passed in Parliament in 2023. After a law is enacted, it must be implemented. That's why a discussion on this was held in Parliament recently. This amendment was such that after this, more women would have been able to reach the Assembly and Parliament," he said. "Parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC, and DMK have once again betrayed the women of the country. These parties had put the brake on women's reservation for 40 years. Now the Samajwadi Party has again shown a red flag to it. The truth is that all these family-oriented and appeasement-oriented parties are afraid of women's power. They are afraid of all of you," he added.

He said two years ago, a massive campaign related to the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana was launched here in Varanasi.

"At that time, in just one month, Sukanya Samriddhi accounts were opened for 27,000 girls in Kashi, and Rs 300 was transferred to each girl's bank account. The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is playing a major role in girls' education and a better future. This scheme has strengthened girls' education, and the Mudra Yojana has ensured their earning potential," he said.

"For the first time, property has been registered in the names of millions of girls. Most of the houses under the PM Awas Yojana are also in the name of women. Today, our mother and sister truly deserve to be the owners of their own homes," he added.

The Prime Minister said that empowering women at home strengthens the entire family.

"This strengthens society and the country. In the past, sisters and daughters had to struggle a lot. You sisters of Kashi have also faced many difficulties. Daughters often had to face many questions. What are you doing? What will you achieve by doing this? Why do you need this?... And sometimes, questions weren't even asked. Orders were simply issued stating that this is beyond your capacity. Most of the sisters and daughters of the country have had similar experiences," he said.

Recalling his years as Gujarat Chief Minister, PM Modi said he had focused on breaking such stereotypes.

"During that time, two major schemes dedicated to girls were launched. One was the Shala Praveshotsav, to encourage the admission of girls to school, so that more girls attend school and don't drop out midway, and the other was the Mukhyamantri Kanya Kelavani Nidhi Yojana (MKKN), to help girls with their school fees. From then until today, women's welfare has consistently been given top priority in our government's policies. In 2014, when you gave us the opportunity to serve, more than 120 million toilets were built in the country," he said. (ANI)