Navsari (Gujarat) [India], March 8 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday emphasized that respecting women is the first step towards a nation's development and in this spirit, Bharat has now taken the path of women-led development.

Addressing a public gathering after launching various schemes, including G-SAFAL and G-MAITRI in Navsari, PM Modi said, 'I am the wealthiest person because my account is filled with the blessings of mothers and sisters, and this blessing continues to grow.'

'Women have been called 'Narayani. ' Respecting women is the first step toward the development of a nation. That is why, to create a developed India and to accelerate the nation's growth, India has now taken the path of women-led development. Our government gives the highest priority to both the respect and convenience of women in their lives. We have built toilets for crores of women, enhancing their dignity. We have connected crores of women to the banking system by opening bank accounts for them,' he asserted.

The Prime Minister also highlighted that his government had provided Ujjwala cylinders to save women from the troubles caused by smoke.

'Working women used to get only 12 weeks of maternity leave. Our government increased this to 26 weeks. Our Muslim sisters had been demanding the abolition of triple talaq for years. By making a law against it, our government saved the lives of lakhs of Muslim women from being ruined. When Article 370 was in place in Kashmir, the women and daughters there were deprived of many rights. If they married someone from outside the state, they lost their right to ancestral property. After the fall of Article 370, women in Jammu and Kashmir now have all the rights,' PM Modi said.

'Modi showed how to respect the Constitution by abrogating Article 370,' he emphasized.

Further, Prime Minister Modi stressed that today, women are participating at the highest level in large institutions and in every sector of the country.

'Since 2014, women's participation in key positions in the country has rapidly increased. After 2014, the most women ministers have been appointed in the central government. The representation of women in Parliament has also increased significantly. In 2019, for the first time, 78 women MPs were elected. This time, there are also 74 women MPs,' he said.

PM Modi also pointed out that the participation of women in the country's judiciary has also increased.

'In district courts, the presence of women has crossed 35 percent. In several states, in the recruitment of civil judges, more than 50 percent of new appointments have been made by our daughters. Today, India is the third-largest start up ecosystem in the world. Almost half of these start-ups have women investors playing a key role,' he said.

'India is touching new heights in space science. In fact, many of the major missions are being led by teams of women scientists. We take pride in seeing that India has the highest number of women pilots in the world,' PM Modi said. (ANI)