In Dehradun, PM Modi urged for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam to be implemented before 2029, calling it the 'sentiment of the nation.' He asked all parties to support the amendment during a special Parliament session from April 16-18.
Implement Women's Reservation Before 2029
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the long-awaited implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which ensures 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, should be carried out before 2029, calling it the "sentiment of the nation" and the "desire of Nari Shakti." He also urged all political parties to support the proposed amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, expressing confidence that by 2029, women will have stronger representation and greater rights in legislative bodies. The Parliament is set to meet on April 16, 17,18 in a special sitting of the budget session to discuss amendments to Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 and a proposed Delimitation Bill to implement the one-third reservation for women legislators.
Addressing the pubic in Dehradun, PM Modi said, "After four decades of anticipation, Parliament passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. This has ensured 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. All parties came forward to support this important law. The rights that women have now received should not face any delay in implementation. It should be implemented now. Lok Sabha elections will be held in 2029, followed by the ongoing state assembly elections. It should be implemented before 2029. This is the sentiment of the nation. This is the desire of Nari Shakti."
"In homage to this resolve of maternal power, a special discussion has been scheduled in Parliament from April 16. Let all political parties come together and advance this work concerning the rights of the country's sisters and daughters with a unanimous consensus," PM Modi said.
Prime Minister said he has written a letter addressed to the women of the country, inviting mothers and sisters to actively participate in the ongoing efforts related to women's reservation. "Today, I have written a letter in the name of all the sisters of the country. With great earnestness, I have invited the mothers and sisters of the country to become partners in this endeavor. I am firmly confident that the mothers and sisters of my country will certainly read this letter. Today, from Devbhoomi, I will once again appeal to all parties in the country to definitely support the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandana Act. In 2029, we will ensure that 50 percent of our country's population receives their rights," he said.
Infrastructure Boost for Uttarakhand
PM Modi inaugurated the six-lane Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor in Uttarakhand, calling such projects "new doors of progress" that will boost trade, business, and industrial growth in the region. "These Economic Corridors are new doors of progress, gateways, doors. Hopes are also tied to their threads. These Economic Corridors, besides roads, create new paths for trade and business, prepare the foundation for warehouses and factories. The Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor too is going to transform this entire region," he said.
Prime Minister said that while earlier villagers in Uttarakhand had to wait for generations for roads, the "double-engine government" has now ensured better connectivity, bringing life back to once-isolated villages. "Earlier in Uttarakhand, generations would pass while waiting for roads in villages. Today, due to the efforts of the double-engine government, roads are reaching even the villages. Villages that were once deserted are becoming lively again," PM Modi said.
"In the past decade, our government has made unprecedented investments in the country's infrastructure development. Let me give you a figure. Nitin Gadkari has just shared many figures related specifically to Uttarakhand. Until 2014, less than Rs 2 lakh crore was spent per year on infrastructure across the entire country. I am referring to the whole of India," PM said.
Call for a Clean Kumbh Mela
He also called for making the upcoming Kumbh Mela in Haridwar a grand, divine, and clean event. "The piles of plastic bottles and garbage harm the sanctity of Devbhoomi. Therefore, it is crucial that we keep the places of Devbhoomi, our pilgrimage sites, clean and beautiful. The Kumbh Mela is also scheduled to be held in Haridwar next year. We must leave no stone unturned in making this confluence of faith divine, grand, and clean," he said.
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