Gujarat CM speaks at Annual session of FICCI Ladies wing

Success of women entrepreneurship depends on women empowerment

Shri Narendra Modi strongly favours pro-active empowered role of women in nation building

Gujarat leads with women role models of entrepreneurship

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi today highlighted the need to empower women, if India has to promote women entrepreneurship.

He was speaking on the topic "Unleash the Entrepreneur Within: Exploring New Avenues" at the 29^th   annual session of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) organized here today.

He also highlighted that dignity of women has to be maintained in all spheres of life. The Nation has to become pro-active in empowering women. This is an important step towards nation building. This is also a critical step to create a modern India.

Shri. Modi emphasized that as Indians, we should ensure that women should get an equal say in the decision making process. Shri Modi said that women have excelled whenever given an opportunity. Success of women entrepreneurship depends on women empowerment, he added. Modi also said, we have to take pride in our women and their power.

Our culture gives the highest pedestal to mothers. The word 'ma' evokes reverence – whatever our culture thought to be important, inviolable and sacrosanct, has named it 'Ma'. “I know of families where women have decided not to marry so they can dedicate their lives to their parents' care in their old age,” Shri Modi said. When given a chance, women have surpassed men. “I have seen women take care of parents better than men,” he said. We should recognize the inherent strength of women in a society, he added.

Gujarat has been a state where women empowerment has created entrepreneurship benchmarks for all. Be it the famous Jasuben's pizzas or Lijjat papad, women in Gujarat have shown exemplary skills in turning their mediocre lives into models of entrepreneurship, Shri Modi said.

FICCI should study the history and management of Lijjat Papad which was started as a cooperative by a group of uneducated tribal women from Gujarat on a loan of Rs. 80. Today their business runs into crores of rupees, he added.

In order to connect our women with development we have to empower women economically, he emphasized.

He asked FICCI to carry out research of various successful women entrepreneurs in the country who have inspirational sources for others. He also requested FICCI to constitute an editorial board, compile case studies showcasing, successful Indian women entrepreneurs, and highlight their achievements.

This, Shri Modi said, could be done using the new age communication tools. He asked the apex industry chamber to create a dedicated website to share such success stories. Earlier, he emphasized the growing importance of social media in exchanging ideas. He invited the audience to share their ideas and suggestions with him using social media tools like Twitter and Facebook.

The Gujarat Chief Minister also highlighted the success of Amul in Gujarat. He said the brand enjoys global acclaim due to ground-level work that Gujarati rural women have done all these years to make the cooperative a brand success.

Citing Gujarat government's policy to give 2001 earthquake victims houses in the name of the woman of a family, Shri Modi appraised that a woman's financial independence will ensure her say in decision making. He further informed that to propagate this practice, Government of Gujarat has introduced waiver of registration fee for property bought in the name of women.

Shri Modi also pointed out that there are certain norms on CSR spending and each company takes benefit of that. He said that if women take charge of CSR activities of a company, they will do an excellent job because they have the quality of compassion.

When asked to express his views on the pending Bill of 50 per cent reservation to women in Parliament, Shri Modi said that the state government has decided to give 50 per cent reservation to women in Panchayats and civic bodies, but unfortunately the Bill is still pending with the Governor.

Shri Modi also shared an incident where a group of elected women Panchayat members visited him and shared their idea of running the village administration by saying  that in the five-year term they have been given, they don't want anybody to remain poor in the village. This was their agenda. “I was impressed,” he stated.

The Gujarat Government following its policy towards women empowerment had sanctioned special grants to villages, where all the elected Panchayat members were women. The number of such villages has crossed the 300 mark in the State, informed Shri Modi.

We first have to accept that women empowerment can bring huge change. In Gujarat, there is a WADI project for the tribals that trains women in technology-oriented agricultural skills. Today tribal women grow crops like cashew and are earning in lakhs of rupees by packaging and marketing the same in metros like Mumbai, Shri Modi said.

We are going to promote tourism through innovation, technology upgradation, skill development and marketing of Gujarati handicrafts at events such as Rann Utsav etc which in turn will also provide a big avenue for women empowerment and open a huge market for our handicrafts, he added.

Earlier FICCI President Naina Lal Kidwai praised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and called Gujarat a "global gateway."

The event was attended by FICCI members of all chapters across the country, dignitaries and diplomats and media.