Ladies and Gentlemen,
I extend my warm greetings to all of you on Women's Day which is
being celebrated today by Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust and
coincides with the birth anniversary of Smt. Indira Gandhi, a
brave first and the only woman Prime Minister of India. In the
morning today, the nation paid homage to her including in a
ceremony at Shakti Sthal in New Delhi, in which I participated.
Throughout her life, she worked tirelessly for the progress of
the country and the welfare of the people.
Today, we are gathered at Puttaparthy to begin the 85th Birthday
celebrations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.I pay my regards and I wish
him the very best on this occasion. His progressive views on the
role of women are inspiring. His commitment to their upliftment
was evident when in 1969 he opened a college for Women at
Anantapur, which was among the first of the several educational
institutions being run today by the Sri Sathya Sai Trust. I am
truly impressed by the range of welfare activities undertaken by
Baba to ameliorate the hardships of the poor. Services are
provided free and in an atmosphere of love and tender care, to
the poorest sections of society and women. What is remarkable is
that these activities were undertaken in pursuance of the
promises which Baba gave to his mother years ago.
A mother's impact on shaping the future of humanity is immense.
A mother has been endowed with a special gift from nature to
give unconditional love to her children and family and to bind
the family together. Therefore, the saying that, "God created
mother because he could not be present everywhere". Many of the
values and approaches in life are learnt by children from their
mother. A woman's role extends from being an important member of
the family - daughter, sister, wife, and mother - to being a
determinant of social development, as well as an architect of
and contributor to building the nation. As love and kindness are
the essential qualities of motherhood, women contribute to the
development of a good family, a compassionate society, a
progressive nation and a more tolerant world.
Women's participation in the political and economic activities
of a society enrich the fabric of a nation. Many women in India
have reached high positions and many others are doing well in
different spheres and even in professions once unthinkable for
women. I am, however, conscious about the constraints and
difficulties that they face in realizing their full potential.
Our efforts to empower women through education, awareness and
opportunities must continue.
The progress of women occupies a special place in my priorities,
and it is my endeavour to see forward movement on issues that
have an impact on them. After the Governors' Conference held in
September 2008, I constituted a Sub-Committee of Governors with
the mandate to suggest steps for empowerment of women to move
forward rapidly on the agenda of gender equality. Emerging from
its recommendations, later the National Mission on Empowerment
of Women was launched on 8th March this year, for the
co-ordinated delivery of women-centric and women-related
programmes of the Government. Proper and timely implementation
of these schemes in a transparent and accountable manner is
essential for achieving the goal of empowering women. Success in
this will translate into manifold benefits to the nation. In
this context, I recall the words of Swami Vivekananda that, "The
upliftment of the women ...... must come first, and then only
can any real good come about for the country - for India."
A foremost tool for empowerment is education. The Right to Free
and Compulsory Education and the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan should
ensure that every child, boy or girl, in the age group 6 to 14
years receives education. It would be well to remember that when
a daughter goes to study, it has a ripple effect. Educated women
can be the voices in the fight against social evils like female
foeticide, child marriage, dowry and addictions, as well as
against the discrimination and biases that exist in society
against women. Educated women can help other women to become
self-reliant and self-confident. They can counsel other women
and share experiences about career choices, entrepreneurship, as
well as in matters like nutrition and childcare.
Health is an area that deserves full attention. India's burden
of maternal, newborn and child mortality is one of the highest
in the world and needs to be addressed. Access to and
affordability of healthcare, especially for women and children
are tasks that must be accomplished. A sustained approach is
required towards developing a strong health infrastructure
throughout the country. All stakeholders - the Government,
private sector, voluntary organizations and people have to work
together for this objective.
Women should be actively drawn into the planning and development
process, especially at the grassroots level in rural areas. I am
happy that at the grassroots level in our elected bodies in
villages and towns there are 1.2 million elected women
representatives. They should focus on bringing women related
issues to the forefront, so that not only do women progress, but
there is overall improvement in the standard of living and
opening of many more avenues of employment and productive work
in rural areas. A fact, which is sometimes forgotten, is that
agriculture is the main employer of women. 75 percent of the
total female workforce and 85 percent of rural women are
employed in agriculture. Women should be encouraged and
empowered to be more active in obtaining food security in our
country.
Diversification of the rural economy hinges on changes in
agriculture, as well as on emerging opportunities in the
non-farm sector. Our food production has grown, but we still
face the challenge of enhancing our productivity, particularly
in rainfed areas. This requires a radical change in the existing
conventional methods of farming, crop diversification, better
management of water and land resources, proper storage and
transport facilities, as well as improved and scientific farm
practices. I believe that linkages between the corporate world
and the agriculture sector should be forged given the many
complementarities that exist between them. Location of food
processing industry and other agro-based industries close to
rural areas will optimize benefits for both - business persons
and farmers. Partnerships can also be evolved for marketing,
research, micro-credit and skill building of men and women,
amongst others.
I see in the gathering a number of girl children, youth and
women, all very energetic. I see the people exuding self
confidence. Sri Sathya Sai Baba's effort has been to assist
every one to acquire self-knowledge and self-confidence, which I
appreciate. Confident citizens constitute the foundation of a
confident nation, as they can take the nation forward. Moreover,
those who are working selflessly - giving their time, resources
and energy, are the ones who are impacting lives and bringing
change quietly, but resolutely. As Smt. Indira Gandhi had said,
"My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of
people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He
told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less
competition." I urge all present here to do their work honestly
and earnestly. We have to work together to build a strong
nation. No country can achieve its full potential without
adequately developing the capabilities of its women.
With these words, I extend my best wishes to each and everyone
here. I once again greet Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and I am sure with
his guidance many will follow that path of service to humankind.
Thank You.
Jai Hind!
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