Women at centre of country's development vision: LS Speaker Om Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Saturday highlighted the increasing role of women in elected bodies while noting that 115 of them are currently Members of Parliament as against only 15 women in the Constituent Assembly which had a strength of 389 at the time of Independence.

Addressing female students at Daulat Ram College here, Birla said women are now playing a leading role in different sectors and added that over 14 lakhs of them are members of elected bodies across the country, leading its social and economic transformation, according to a statement from his office.

The country is now moving forward with the vision of women-centric development, he said, asserting that only education can ensure their social independence.

From flying fighter planes to deployment at borders and in para-military forces, women are on the frontline of every field, Birla said.

They are triggering a massive social change by running self-help groups in huge numbers, the Lok Sabha speaker said.

It is often seen that women trainees outnumber their male counterparts during various educational tours to Parliament from all-India services officials, Birla said.

Achievements of women infuse the confidence that the country will achieve its aims during the ''Amrit Kaal'', he said.

In his speech, the Speaker also paid tributes to social reformers like Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule and B R Ambedkar, lauding their contribution towards women empowerment.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)