“As India Transforms, Its Women Rise”: FM Sitharaman Highlights Gender Progress in the US
As part of ongoing efforts to improve women’s safety, health, and economic empowerment, the Indian government has rolled out several initiatives, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said during a keynote address at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution in the United States. She emphasized that India is undergoing a significant transformation—and Indian women are evolving along with it.
Speaking at the event titled “Laying the Foundations for a Developed India #ViksitBharat by 2047,” Sitharaman highlighted that working women in India now benefit from six months of maternity leave, a policy expansion driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to supporting working mothers.
She also referred to a government scheme introduced two years ago that offers women a higher interest rate—7.5%—on their bank deposits. The aim, she explained, is to promote financial security among women by encouraging them to deposit their savings in banks rather than keeping them in cash at home.
In her remarks, Sitharaman noted that property registered in the name of women is eligible for tax incentives, providing additional financial benefits. She also spoke about the Poshan Scheme, which ensures that pregnant women and nursing mothers receive adequate nutrition.
Referring to the PM Awas Yojana, the finance minister pointed out that newly constructed homes are being registered in the name of women or jointly with their spouses to ensure women’s ownership and long-term security.
During her U.S. visit, Sitharaman also met with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in San Francisco. Their discussion focused on India’s rapid digital transformation under the Digital India initiative, which has helped position the country as a global leader in technology adoption.
Kurian expressed appreciation for India’s advancements in artificial intelligence and praised the country’s forward momentum under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. He also emphasized the importance of strengthening India’s global connectivity through expanded land and sea cable infrastructure.
He reaffirmed Google Cloud’s commitment to running its global data centers and offices on carbon-free energy by 2030 and shared that the company is preparing a new investment strategy tailored for India.
In response, Sitharaman encouraged deeper collaboration with Indian partners, emphasizing the potential of building technology solutions in India that serve both domestic and global markets—aligning with the broader vision of the Make in India initiative.
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