Ashwini Vaishnaw's presentation on Cabinet decisions paves way for gender-neutral terminology, uses "human-days"

New Delhi [India], September 3 : In a significant move towards gender neutrality, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has replaced the term "man-days" with "human-days" in a presentation on Cabinet decisions.
While briefing the media on the new Manmad-Indore railway line, Vaishnaw used the more inclusive term to describe the potential employment generation capacity underscoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to gender inclusivity.
This linguistic shift aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to gender inclusivity and follows an earlier decision to use gender-neutral pronouns like "her" and "she" in the draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) law. The DPDP Act, tabled by Vaishnaw as IT Minister, explicitly mentions these pronouns.
The introduction of "human days" is part of a broader initiative to embed gender inclusivity across all sectors, and aligns with a broader initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership to ensure gender neutrality.
Gender neutrality is the idea that policies, language, and social institutions should not distinguish roles based on sex or gender.
Some laws in India that are considered gender-neutral include -- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 which protects children under the age of majority from sexual abuse and harassment and Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 which recognizes the rights of transgender people and prohibits discrimination against them in accessing education, jobs, and health care services.
Articles 14 to 18 of the Constitution of India provide the right to equality for all citizens.