Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation for the empowerment of women over the last eight years, which has been delivering remarkable results. The government’s schemes and their impact are a refreshing change from the empty rhetoric the country has often witnessed earlier. As we celebrate Women’s Day, it’s as good an occasion as any to review the extent and depth of PM Modi’s policies that have cleared the hurdles for ‘Narishakti’ to achieve its full potential by empowering women.
In the defence forces and related areas alone, PM Modi’s tenure has managed to break several glass ceilings– something that many thought wasn’t possible in such a short duration. It was during the 2018 Independence Day speech when the Prime Minister announced the grant of permanent commission for the appointment of women officers in the short service commission, fulfilling a demand that was there for long.
This was followed up by allowing women to appear for the National Defence Academy examination. The necessary administrative training and policy changes were made and the June 2022 course of the preeminent institution in the country, which forges young cadets into officers of the armed forces, will have the first batch of women cadets.
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Last year, the age-old barrier to girls’ admission into Sainik Schools was breached thus giving wings to the aspirations of girl students from around the country who have for long dreamed of attending Sainik Schools. According to reports, With effect from the academic session 2021-22, 312 girl cadets have been admitted in all existing 33 Sainik Schools in class 6.
Further, the domain of naval aviation has seen a first. The first batch of women Naval Operations officers was inducted into the rotary-wing and joined the helicopter squadron INAS 336 at INS Garuda last year.In the many firsts for women last year, another chapter was added when Border Roads Organisation – a crucial wing of the armed forces that maintains and builds roads in some of the toughest terrain along the borders– appointed women officers to command important Road Construction Companies (RCC) along border areas.
In the past, there has been plenty of rhetoric and declarations but action has been lacking in many cases. As the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has spent political capital in ensuring that hitherto closed doors for women are flung open.
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Not just that, PM Modi has gone one step ahead, questioned prevailing societal norms and attitudes towards sons vis-à-vis daughters. In an Independence Day Speech, PM Modi asked why parents don’t keep track of their sons’ daily movements and about their friends and the company they keep, but only do it for their daughters.
“After all, a rapist is also somebody’s son. He also has parents. As parents, have we ever asked our son as to what he is doing and where he was going? If only every parent decides to impose as many restrictions on the sons as have been imposed on our daughters, try to do this with your sons, try to ask such questions of them,” PM Modi had said.
The attitude to take the bull by its horns for the right cause isn’t restricted to making speeches, PM Modi has delivered on such ideas through meticulous planning and delivery. In the first term, PM Modi appointed 6 women cabinet ministers even though the cabinet was the smallest in the last 16 years.
In the cabinet expansion in 2021, the number of women ministers in the Council went up to 11, the highest in 17 years.
While the policies discussed above that led to women’s empowerment and broke many long-standing barriers, the truth is that there is a lot more that has been done to ensure the financial independence and empowerment of women.
The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), launched in 2015 to provide loans up to Rs 10 lakh for small businesses, has 68% of women entrepreneurs out of its 32 crore plus beneficiaries. This scheme has ensured a whopping amount of Rs 7.42 lakh crore goes to women entrepreneurs.
Similarly, the Stand-Up India scheme was launched in 2016 with the stated aim to promote entrepreneurship, job creation and economic empowerment. It mandated that each scheduled commercial bank branch provide at least one loan (ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore) to a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe or a woman borrower. Till last year, 81% of the loan accounts belonged to women with sanctioned amounts standing at nearly Rs 21,000 crore.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, one of the first schemes launched after PM Modi took charge in 2014, was aimed at bringing a vast amount of unbanked people into the financial system. The scheme now has 55% of bank accounts belonging to women.
All these schemes provide the much-needed access to credit and general banking facilities for women to spread their wings. The effect of financially empowered women on their families, society and the economy as a whole cannot be overstated. These schemes are carefully crafted to reach out to all sections of hitherto ignored and marginalised sections of women thus making the financial revolution truly inclusive.
Rupali Ganguly is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in television and films. Her current TV serial, Anupama, has gained cult status. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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