Prez calls for ideological movement

Bhopal, June 29 (UNI) President Pratibha Devisingh Patil today stressed that women should be made educationally, socially and economically self-reliant and called for an ideological movement in the direction of women's empowerment so that a change could be brought about in the mentality of society in general and men in particular.

''Women fought shoulder to shoulder with men in the freedom struggle. Independent India framed several laws for women's betterment but despite more than 60 years having passed, women are yet to obtain a status equal to men,'' she said at the inauguration of the Madhya Pradesh government's Usha Kiran Yojana here this evening.

Pointing out that effective implementation of government policies and schemes would also be a medium for helping attain the target of women's empowerment, the President reiterated that women played an active role from the Revolt of 1857 till freedom was won.

''Who can forget the sacrifice of Jhansi's Rani Lakshmibai? Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, Kamla Nehru, Sucheta Kripalani and Aruna Asaf Ali actively contributed under Gandhiji's leadership.

Women's empowerment and uplift was the chief slogan of our national movement,'' she explained.

There was a need to alter the violent and discriminatory attitude towards women, Ms Patil felt while praising the welfare schemes for women and girls in this state.

Earlier, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan outlined schemes including the Ladli Lakshmi wherein a girl registered under the scheme at birth would receive Rs 1.18 lakh at the time of marriage.

The Usha Kiran Yojana's chief objective is to liberate women from the scourge of domestic violence and make them self-reliant.

UNI Team-AC 2101