Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday emphasized that India cannot become a developed nation unless women have a 50% share in the country’s development. He also highlighted that while the necessary constitutional amendment for women’s political representation has been passed, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong political will that is driving its implementation.
Fadnavis was speaking at the “Nari Shakti Vandan Mahila Sammelan” organized by Nari Shakti Vichar Manch. The event was attended by Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, MLAs Manisha Chaudhary, Chitra Wagh and Amit Satam, SNDT University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ujjwala Chakradev, actor Raveena Tandon, Prajakta Mali, playback singer Vaishali Samant, fashion designer Archana Snehalka Swami, Global Teacher Award winner Rubal Nagi, and a large number of women participants.
The Chief Minister stated that the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill would bring historic changes in the political, social, and economic landscape of the country. He expressed confidence that a large number of women representatives would be elected to Parliament and state legislatures in the future, thereby accelerating women’s leadership and development. He urged everyone to support the bill collectively.
Fadnavis noted that currently there are 73 women Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, and expressed confidence that this number could rise to around 273 by 2029. He added that if the bill had not been introduced now, it might have been delayed until 2029 or even as late as 2034–2039.
Recalling past attempts, he said that the Women’s Reservation Bill was first introduced by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee but could not be passed due to lack of majority. Even subsequent governments failed to pass it despite having sufficient numbers.
Addressing concerns raised by some over issues like census and delimitation, Fadnavis clarified that even though the 2021 census could not be conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bill is being implemented based on the 2011 census. He added that the delimitation process will also begin soon and reiterated that the bill is being realized due to Prime Minister Modi’s determination.
He further said that initiatives like “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” have played a key role in women’s empowerment, from improving the gender ratio to ensuring better educational opportunities for girls. Programmes like “Lakhpati Didi” are also part of these efforts.
Opportunities Expanding for Women in Maharashtra
Fadnavis also highlighted that women in Maharashtra are now occupying key leadership positions for the first time, including the state’s first woman Chief Secretary, first woman Director General of Police, and first woman Municipal Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. He said that opportunities for women to excel are now fully open.
He noted that women’s representation in local self-government bodies has reached 55%. While earlier trends like ‘proxy leadership’ (where male relatives acted on behalf of elected women representatives) were observed, women are now emerging as independent and effective leaders.
Citing an example from Nagpur, he mentioned that six out of eight gold medals at AIIMS were won by female students, demonstrating women’s excellence across fields including the armed forces and space research.
The event also featured cultural performances depicting the lives of historical icons such as Rajmata Jijau, Rani Lakshmibai, Savitribai Phule, and Dr. Anandibai Joshi.
On the occasion, several women achievers from different fields were felicitated by the Chief Minister. Fadnavis and other dignitaries also expressed their support for the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill by giving a missed call and signing a pledge board.
