Need to bring change in society for empowering women: Himachal Governor

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 19 : Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said on Sunday that society needs to bring about change to empower women.
"Women have to be provided fair and equal opportunities in society, so that they can move forward to their full potential," the Governor said while addressing a seminar on the topic "Women Empowerment: Indian Perspective" organised by the Sunil Upadhyay Education Trust in Shimla on the occasion of the death anniversary of Sunil Upadhyay.
"Women Empowerment is a topic that needs to be discussed and implemented properly by society and the nation," he said.
"It is said in our ancient scriptures that gods reside in places where women are worshipped. Women were respected in ancient times but started decreasing in the medieval period," the Governor said.
Shukla said that in the modern period, though several Indian women hold important political and administrative positions, common rural women are still forced to live in their homes. The Governor said that women in urban areas of India are more employed than women in rural areas.
"According to statistics, about 30 per cent of women work in the software industry in Indian cities, while in rural areas about 90 per cent women work as daily wage laborers, mainly in agriculture and related sectors," he said.
Shukla said that though our country is progressing rapidly, we can continue our progress only if we are able to remove gender inequality and ensure equal education, equal promotion and equal pay for women as men.
"In the last few years, many constitutional and legal rights have been enacted and implemented by government to remove gender inequality and bad practices against women," he said.
The Governor said that the Nari Shakti Vandan Act is an important step towards women empowerment and social equality. "After the implementation of this law, many things will change in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly," he added.
Shukla said that the central government has launched many other schemes for women empowerment.
"Many of these schemes are related to things like employment, agriculture and health. These schemes have been formed keeping in mind the situation of Indian women so that their participation in the society can be increased. Some of these main schemes are MNREGA, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Janani Suraksha Yojana," the Governor said.
Shukla said that in the last nine years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central Government has provided facilities, security and respect to women.
"Thoughtfully designed schemes like Ujjwala for gas connections, sanitation for women toilets and Jal-Jeevan for tap water in homes have not only simplified the lives of women but also provided them with a sense of self-confidence and self-respect," he said.
The Himachal Pradesh Governor also honoured women who have done excellent work in their society. The special guest of the programme, Monica Arora, was also present.
Sunil Upadhyay Education Trust Vice President Ashok Sharma and Secretary Surendra Sharma welcomed the Governor at the event.