"Sound Basis For Focussing On Women": Niti Aayog's Suman Bery On Budget's Women Focus

Vice-Chairperson of Niti Aayog, Suman Berry, speaks about the focus on women in the Budget presented today by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He said, "When in 2014, PM Modi announced Swachh Bharat, it was because there was increasing evidence that much of the problems we were having with children stunting and wasting was not only because of nutrition, but because of open defecation... So he was ahead of the curve. Similarly, it is really only in the last 20 years that there is a development consensus that essentially in societies where women are empowered, development takes place. So there is a sound basis for focusing on women. Now there have been many women-focused initiatives since the Prime Minister took over. But I think it is fair to say that it was in his Viksit Bharat speech that he talked of women's development, and then he took the message forward to the G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration to make this now a global campaign... We have had the self-help groups that he calls Lakhpati didis, but I think this has now really grown into a movement..."