Thane: Women are better managers when it comes to running government and their participation lowers corruption as well, Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan said on Saturday.
"I have been in active public life for almost 60 years. I can tell you from my personal experience that whenever there are women in charge of government, there is good governance and less corruption. I appeal to women to prepare themselves to play a greater role in governance in the years to come," Sankaranarayanan told a gathering of women after inaugurating a Multipurpose Centre at Nhave Sasne village at Murbad tehsil in the district.
Hailing the growing participation of women in public life, the governor said, "Today at the grassroots level, there are over 12 lakh elected women representatives in local bodies in the villages, towns and cities. Many states, including Maharashtra, have increased the percentage of women`s reservation in local bodies to 50 per cent. In the years to come, more women will be playing important role in our social and public life."
Sankaranarayanan said unless a record 81 per cent of rural women workers, who are engaged in agriculture, are not lifted up from penury, the empowerment process will remain "incomplete".
"India will not be complete unless we empower rural women. Empowerment includes political, economic and social empowerment. Advanced countries of the world generally have a high degree of women empowerment," he said.
Observing that education is the key factor in empowering women, the governor said unless women are educated and equipped with earning skills, they will not be empowered socially.
"I appeal to educational institutions to start providing short term vocational and employment oriented programmes to women. This will enable them to become self employed," Sankaranarayanan said.
Acknowledging that women`s self help group movement is a "potent tool" for ensuring social and economic uplifting of women, the governor said, "There are 48 lakh women`s self help groups in India that are bringing about a silent revolution through economic empowerment. I hope public sector banks would be generous in lending more credit to women self help groups and facilitate the process of women`s empowerment."
PTI
