‘Maha Sakthi’ intended to empower women, says Naidu

Vijayawada: Flagging off the Maha Sakthi Chaitanya Ratha Yatra at the TDP headquarters at Mangalagiri on Friday, former Chief Minister and TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu said that the women’s welfare can be assured only under the TDP’s rule.

Speaking on the occasion, he said women’s welfare should be viewed as before and after the formation of TDP. Naidu said women alone are the pilots of the TDP’s Maha Sakthi programme.

Stating that women’s welfare is the highest priority of the TDP since its inception, Naidu said that he conceived the ‘Maha Sakthi’ programme to bring in revolutionary changes in the living standards of the women in the State.

Recalling that in 1986, former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao has given powers for women in ancestral property, Naidu pointed out that later the whole country followed suit.

Padmavathi Mahila University was established by NTR only to encourage women to pursue higher studies and women were given reservations in local bodies besides a 33 per cent quota in employment.

Stating that 50 per cent of the State population comprises women, the TDP supremo said that they are on par with men in all spheres. Pointing out that he had earlier implemented various novel schemes for women’s welfare, Naidu said that women have been appointed as bus conductors too. “Now women are even driving these vehicles,” he added.

It has been scientifically proven that women are most powerful in terms of thinking and now women are earning more than their spouses in the Information Technology sector, the TDP chief remarked.

Coming down heavily on the schemes being implemented in the State by the YSRCP govt, Naidu pointed out several loopholes in the Amma Vodi scheme. “Is it enough if one child in a family is given the benefit under the scheme and what about the other child,” Naidu asked and said that this was the reason as to why the TDP has been planning to give Rs 15,000 per child covering all the children in the family under the Talliki Vandanam scheme.

When girl child was considered to be a burden on a family, the TDP introduced the Child Protection Scheme and paid Rs 5,000 to each family if a girl child is born, the former Chief Minister fondly recalled. Through the introduction of DWCRA groups, the TDP helped in women empowerment while the Deepam scheme improved the living standards of women in the State, he stated.

Expressing concern over the steep hike in the price of LPG cylinder, Naidu announced that soon after the TDP returns to power, three gas cylinders will be supplied free of cost to every family under the Maha Sakthi scheme.

The TDP has the credit of supplying sanitary napkins to women and under the Amritha Hastam scheme nutritious food was supplied for pregnant women, the TDP chief pointed out.

“My intention is making women a powerful force and they should show their power to the Chief Minister,” he said.

The women leaders who travel in vehicles under the Maha Sakthi campaign will make door-to-door visits and organise special programmes to spread awareness on the welfare schemes proposed to be launched by the TDP.