Better halves must get better deal: Venkaiah Naidu

​Hyderabad: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said empowering women would enable them to lead a life of dignity, respect and make informed decisions. Addressing a gathering at the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Mahila Dakshata Samiti in Hyderabad here on Friday, he said that we were proud inheritors of a culture and a worldview in which women were not only treated equally with men but also were revered.

There is a rich history inherited with numerous achievements of extraordinary women in the country. However, unfortunately, there has been a parallel trend of gender discrimination. This has resulted in low literacy, low education and consequently, low representation in the workforce and politics, according to him.

The Vice President said unequal access to education, gainful employment and growth opportunities were widening the gender gap and atrocities on women and domestic abuse were unfortunately tarnishing our image as a nation.

“We can hardly wait and watch. We can’t allow these social evils to continue. We need to think and act. For this, we need to build coalitions against gender discrimination. The government and the civil society must be active collaborators to achieve tangible results,” he said. “The better half of the humanity must get a better deal and the bitter legacy of inequity must end,” he added.

The Vice President said empowering women educationally, socially and politically was the fundamental requirement of the country to unleash the forces of growth and achieve rapid progress. Without the active participation of women, the establishment of a new social order might not be a successful one because women constituted half the population, he said.

Appreciating organisations like Mahila Dakshata Samiti for striving hard to undo this injustice by focusing on education and economic empowerment, he emphasised on the need to empower of women, particularly those belonging to the vulnerable sections through education.