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India today has a government which is committed to removing every obstacle faced by women, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday as she mentioned steps like girls being admitted to Sainik Schools and a majority of women beneficiaries under various state-run schemes.
In her first address to the joint sitting of Parliament on the first day of the Budget session, Murmu said the Union government has ensured that women are not restricted from participating in any field of interest.
Giving credence to 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign, she said the initiative has brought in a consciousness in the society which has led to a "steady increase in the number of daughters".
"For the first time in the country, the female population outnumbers the males and the health of women has also improved considerably. Today India has a government which is committed to removing every obstacle being faced by women," she said.
"All the welfare schemes launched by my government have at the centre of them a vision to make life easier for women, provide new opportunities for employment and self-employment to women and ensure women empowerment. For the upliftment of women, even when the old beliefs and traditions had to be broken, the government has not backed down," the president added.
Murmu also talked about various employment opportunities available to women.
"Recruitment in every sector, from mining to forward posts in Army, has been thrown open to women. Our daughters are now studying and training in Sainik Schools as well as military academies. It is my government which has increased the maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks," she said.
"About 70 per cent of the beneficiaries under Mudra Yojana are women entrepreneurs. A study suggests that this scheme has increased the economic power of women and their participation in social decisions," she said.
Talking about PM Awas Yojana, the president said women's self-confidence has received a boost after the houses allotted under the scheme have been registered in their names. The Jan Dhan Yojana has led to a parity between men and women in access to banking services in the country for the first time, she said.
She added that there are more than 80 lakh self-help groups functioning in the country in which about 9 crore women are associated.
"Assistance of lakhs of crores of rupees is being given by the government to these women self-help groups," she said.
Murmu also highlighted that about 3 crore women farmers are among the beneficiaries of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and they have received about INR 54,000 crore under this scheme.