Prime Minister Narendra Modi said crimes against women are unpardonable and the guilty, those who help guilty should not be spared. Modi said strong provisions have been included under the new criminal laws for the protection of women.
Addressing the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, Modi said, “Be it in any state of the country, I understand the pain and anger of my sisters and daughters. I will once again tell every political party of the country, every state government that crime against women is an unpardonable sin. Whoever is guilty should not be spared. Those who help him in any form should not be spared.”
Modi said women’s dignity is everyone’s responsibility. “Be it a hospital, school, government or police system, at whatever level negligence occurs, everyone should be held accountable. The message should go very clearly from top to bottom. This sin is unpardonable.” The prime minister said governments will keep changing but the protection of women is everyone’s responsibility.
Talking about the new laws, Modi said strong provisions have been provided under new laws for sexual crime against minors. “The new laws have provisions for death penalty and life imprisonment for sexual crimes against minors. There have been many cases of cheating in the name of marriage with daughters. Earlier, there was no clear law for this. Now false promises of marriage and deception have also been clearly defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,” he said. Modi added the central government is with the state governments in every way to stop atrocities against women.
In the past 10 years, his government has done more for women than previous regimes since Independence, Modi said. “Till 2014, less than Rs 25,000 crore loans were given to women self-help groups but in the last 10 years, Rs 9 lakh crore help was given,” PTI reported quoting Modi.
The prime minister released the Rs 2,500 crore revolving fund benefiting 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh self-help groups during the programme. Modi said, “In the last 10 years, one crore Lakhpati Didis were made, and in just two months 11 lakh more Lakhpati Didi were added to one crore,” PTI said.
The prime minister also expressed his anguish over the Nepal bus accident in which 14 persons from Jalgaon district were killed. Modi also recalled his recent visit to Poland and the respect people there have for the people of Maharashtra. The PM said during World War II, the Kolhapur settlement housed Polish refugees, including women and children and the Polish people respect the people of Maharashtra for this gesture.
