Addressing a gathering of some 100,000 self-help group (SHG) workers in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, the prime minister said women had become the “differentiator” of this century. One example is her increase in the number of SHG workers to her 80 million women today. He argued that since 2014, his scheme has taken several steps to create new possibilities for women entrepreneurs.
“Today in the new India, the women’s power flag is flying from Panchayat Bhavan to Rashtrapati Bhavan,” the prime minister said, referring to the election of Drupadi Murum as president of India. He said 17,000 women were elected to local governments in the recent panchayat elections. The Prime Minister said that when a woman starts a business by forming her 10-person group to her 12-person group, great achievements will be achieved due to the dedication and determination of the women.
These efforts have transformed the SHG into a ‘National Assistance Organization’ today. Women have played an important role, from creating her PPE her kit during the COVID-19 pandemic, to caring for cattle, contributing to nutrition campaigns, the Swachh Bharat movement and more.
Listing the government’s efforts towards women’s empowerment, she said that over the past three years, 70 million households in India have been connected to water.
He said the government aims to enroll at least one woman from every rural household in the SHG. The Prime Minister also spoke about the importance of women being economically empowered. “Women’s economic empowerment empowers them equally in society,” he said.
