CB Bureau‘There is no substitute to women empowerment. If we have to bring social equality in the country, women have to be happy in individual homes as well as society. The nation will not prosper without their happiness,’ said President Pratibha Patil.
‘Women had fought shoulder to shoulder with men during the freedom struggle. But the real spirit of democracy will come true only after women are financially independent. Today, our country has over 2.5 lakh local civic bodies, where 12 lakh of a total of 32 lakh representatives are women. This has already ensured political empowerment of women. More women should come forward to bring reforms in the society,’ Patil pointed out.
President Patil made this statement while addressing a gathering of women and farmers after unveiling the statue of late Shankarrao Patil, at the silver jubilee celebration of Shankarrao Patil Cooperative Sugar Mill at Indapur in Pune district.
President Patil also highlighted the significance of rural progress and green revolution.
‘There is immense potential in rural India. If provided with the right kind of opportunities, I am sure they will influence the growth of modern India. Gram Swarajya was Mahatma Gandhi’s dream. Pre-Independence India had a limited set of basic needs contrary to today’s India, where the population has grown in multiple folds increasing the country’s basic needs in multiple times,’ said the Patil.
‘The first green revolution helped us cater to the population growth once. We need to repeat the experiment and move towards a second green revolution, and that is not possible until the focus is shifted to the farmer in this country. The rain-dependent agriculture should be made sustainable as well as affordable,’ added Patil.