'Crime against women unpardonable sin': PM Modi amid Kolkata, Badlapur outrage
"Governments will keep coming and going, but protecting life and protecting women's dignity is a big responsibility of all of us, both as a society and as a government,” he said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (August 25) said his government is strengthening laws to provide for stringent punishment for crimes against women.
Addressing a Lakhpati Didi rally at Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, Modi said, “Along with increasing the strength of mothers, sisters and daughters, their safety is also the priority of the country. I have raised this issue repeatedly from the Red Fort. Today, be it any state of the country, I understand the pain and anger of my sisters and daughters.”
Guilty shouldn’t be spared: PM
“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, he should not be spared,” ANI quoted him as saying.
“Those who help him in any form should not be spared. 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. Governments will keep coming and going, but protecting life and protecting women's dignity is a big responsibility of all of us, both as a society and as a government,” he added.
He said, "Our government is also continuously making laws stricter to give the harshest punishment to those who commit atrocities on women. Today, a large number of sisters and daughters of the country are here. I want to tell you this in particular. Earlier, there used to be complaints that FIRs were not registered on time, there was no hearing, cases were delayed. We have removed many such obstacles in the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita."
His remarks came amid massive outrage over the rape and murder of a doctor in a Kolkata hospital as well as the sexual abuse of two nursery students at a school in Maharashtra’s Badlapur.
Unprecedented work for women
The prime minister also said his government has done more for women in the last 10 years than was done by all the previous regimes since Independence.
“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,” Modi said.
Modi, who interacted with Lakhpati Didis at Jalgaon, released the Rs 2,500 crore revolving fund benefiting 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh self-help groups.
The Lakhpati Didi scheme is not only about boosting the income of women, but also about empowering future generations, Modi said.
Modi also said Maharashtra needs the BJP-led Mahayuti government to continue for years to come to ensure the state’s stability and prosperity.
“Maharashtra is the shining star of a developed India. The future of the state lies in more investment and job growth,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
