 "Crimes against women unpardonable sin, says PM Modi in Maharashtra")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday termed crimes against women an unpardonable sin, adding the guilty should not be spared.
Modi’s remarks follow protests against the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital and the sexual abuse of two 4-year-old school girls in Badlapur near Mumbai.
Speaking at the ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’ in north Maharashtra’s Jalgaon, Modi said the safety of women should be a priority.
“The safety of mothers, sisters, and daughters is the country’s priority. I have repeatedly raised this issue from the Red Fort. Be it any state of the country, I understand the pain and anger of my sisters and daughters,” he said.
Modi said he would tell every political party and state government that crime against women is an unpardonable sin. Whoever is guilty should not be spared, he added.
“The message should go from top to bottom. This sin is unpardonable. Governments will come and go, but protecting life and women’s dignity is a big responsibility of all of us, both as a society and as a government,” Modi said.
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Modi, who interacted with Lakhpati Didis, members of self-help groups who are earning Rs 1 lakh annually, released the Rs 2,500 crore revolving fund benefiting 4.8 million members of 430 thousand self-help groups.
Since the inception of the scheme for making Lakhpati Didis, 10 million women have already joined the rank.
“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, referring to the government’s ‘Sakhi Mandal’ programme.